A Break In The Clouds
by TheBaeTide
Summary: Michonne returns to Alexandria after a self-imposed exile, only to learn that the safe-zone is far from how she left it, and in her abscence Rick had to face a crude awakening on his own, which resulted in him living each day as a different man. When they reunite they must decide whether to face the upcoming storm together or on their own. AU. Walkers. Warrior Michonne. K.C Rick.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I wanted to post this at the same time that I updated my other fics but I needed a little more time to carve this out. I know that I have other fics to update (which I am currently doing so please don't send for me lol) and I probably shouldn't have posted this when I have a few to finish but I'm impulsive guys. Also, I should just let you all know that this will be so far from fluffy that I can't even, but still enjoy you angels!

Chapter One:

"How many?"

Michonne kept her back against the wall as she listened to the familiar sound of hungry growls. It had been a while since she heard that, maybe weeks but she wasn't sure. It was one of the bonuses of being out at sea; walkers couldn't swim.

She stuck her head around the corner and peered down the dark hallway. She could see movement, walkers mulling around, bumping into each other. There wasn't much light in the old building, and being in the basement only made matters worse. She was sure she saw five, maybe six, but she couldn't be sure as there were a row of doorways on each side. She wasn't sure if she could risk it, not while she wasn't alone.

"We need to find another way", She whispered once she leaned against the wall, tilting her head so the young boy beside her could hear, "Too dangerous"

"...We can't- the door, remember?", Fear was evident in his voice. She almost regretted bringing him with her. She could have made him wait somewhere while she cleared the floor on her own, but she had learnt rather early on that Mickey was not to be left alone if she could help it.

She dropped her head back against the wall with a soft thud as she quickly thought of a way to get them both out of there alive. Sadly, the idea that popped in her head wasn't the smartest option, but it would ensure his safety, "Wait here. Don't move until I say so"

It had been three years since the outbreak. Michonne was sure that was how long it had been because there had only been three winters. It was a strange way to keep track of time but it worked for her, and in that time she had learnt a lot about the dead. She knew how to sneak up on them, how to catch their attention and how to lose it. She had hidden herself in plain sight from them, and hidden herself within them, and while some would think she was crazy to run into a dark, narrow passageway with limited vision and only a katana for defence, she merely accepted that there were only two outcomes to that scenario; She'd either get lucky and take them all down, or she'd get swarmed. Considering she had a small companion to look after, she was trying to avoid the latter.

Her heart raced in her chest as she swung her sword one way or the other, using the faint glow from the end of the hall to find their silhouettes. There was a stage in her life when she could admit that killing walkers was somewhat therapeutic, but now it was just tiring. She'd been covered in blood and guts more times than she could even begin to count. Some faces stayed with her, haunting her, while others were just a blur. While she couldn't be more grateful that she had made it this far unscathed, she hoped the day would come when there were less walkers and more people again.

The last walking corpse hit the floor like a sack of bricks, landing against a tipped over filing cabinet. She kept still, listening for any further movement before hissing down the hallway, "Mickey!"

A pale face appeared at the end of the hall as the boy appeared, scurrying around the bodies to get to her. He held on tight to their backpack and machete, his big brown eyes wide and alert as he looked from left to right, "I'm here"

"Let's go".

The events that led to the duos survival and companionship were not something Michonne liked to think about, and she was sure he didn't either, but losing whole groups of people was not uncommon in the apocalypse. There was a point in time where she refused to form emotional bonds with anyone because she had lost sight of the reason behind it. She didn't want to lose anyone else, but having seen the great lengths the Mickey's father had gone through to protect his group ignited something in her. It reminded her of someone else she knew.

It only felt right for her to take the man's son under her wing after his death. She had to, her conscience wouldn't allow her to do otherwise. Soon enough their group dwindled down to just the two of them, which was one of the reasons why she felt it was time to return to land. Her self-imposed exile was over, and she had finally come to a conclusion after months of reflection. She was ready to return to the only place that she could call home.

"I had a girlfriend once. Her name was Penny"

Michonne smirked as she looked over at the teen on the opposite couch, "Oh?"

Mickey nodded, his dark curls bouncing around his head, "Yeah, but once she told me that she thought I was 'emotionally stunted'... I always wanted to know what that meant."

Michonne frowned at him from her place on the couch, "How old were you?"

"We were both thirteen..."

She nearly scoffed in shock. She couldn't even remember if she even knew such a term at thirteen. She frowned at him, "Why are your bringing this up now?"

Mickey proceeded to hold up the old and tatty teen magazine he'd been reading, "It says 'The five toxic personality types your boyfriend might have, and why you should dump him - and emotionally stunted is on here..."

Michonne bit her bottom lip as she felt the urge to giggle, "You think she read that?"

The teen chuckled quietly as he dropped the magazine back on the table, "It would make sense... I still don't understand what it means though"

"It just means that you haven't matured emotionally", She explained as she sat up, throwing her legs off the arm of the chair and feet firmly on the wooden floor, "Which you probably were at thirteen because that's pretty standard procedure for anyone at that age, but I think you've grown out of that"

Mickey slowly nodded as he began to smile, "Got it"

"Now if you're done playing slumber party-"

"Ha. Ha.", He breathed sarcastically as he snuggled up to the dated cushions.

"You need to get some rest. We need to be up early tomorrow so we can find a car that works", She looked at her katana on the coffee table, then at the door they had barricaded with a vending machine. She grabbed the weapon and stood up, heading towards one of the panel of windows, "We only have one more stretch to go..."

"Okay...", Michonne assumed that he was going to follow her instructions and go to sleep after his reply, but a few moments later she heard him utter quietly, "...What if it's not there anymore?"

She knew he'd eventually ask him such a question. She was waiting for it, so she looked back at him from over her shoulder, "Then we may have to look for them"

Mickey only nodded in agreement, swallowing any other worry he had. She knew he had doubts because they were written all over his face when she mentioned their destination. He was worried that their journey would end with an undesired outcome and she couldn't blame him for that. He only knew what she had told him about Alexandria and its inhabitants, so he would have to see for himself before he could make up his mind.

She was certain he'd like it there, if indeed it was still standing. She was sure that it was because Rick and the others were there. They were a family made up of some of the strongest survivors she had ever met so she truly believed that the community would be where she left it. That was not what fuelled her worry, and instead it was how she'd be received.

When the morning came they were out of the building within an hour of waking up. Mickey had cleared out every vending machine they passed and slung the garbage bag over her shoulder gleefully as they set off, "At least we won't go hungry again"

"...And we won't have any teeth either", She pointed out dryly as they crossed the deserted parking lot, "I'm sure there was a car out here last night..."

Mickey looked around as he trudged along beside her, "...Can't see anything"

Her guard immediately went up, her eyes darting from left to right as she wondered if they were truly alone. She was sure she saw a vehicle, a dark coloured SUV parked a few yards away from the back entrance to the building. She was certain because she planned to take it that morning.

"You think there's someone else here?", Mickey asked, using only one hand to hold the garbage bag, while the other pulled his machete free.

She scanned the fields that surrounded them. The grass was tall enough to hide in, and the trees had thick trunks that blocked their view, which only made Michonne even more uncomfortable, "Come on, we need to stick to the edge"

"Wait- look!", Mickey lowered his tone as he used his Machete to stop her going further.

She would have scolded him from using the sharp side of his weapon to try and block her path but her attentions were drawn to a vehicle appearing from the other side of the building; the dark SUV. She would have thought that it would be wise for them to make themselves scarce, but the car only drove to end of the drive before it came to a halt. They had been spotted.

"What should we do?", Mickey asked nervously, "Shouldn't we hide?"

They had only crossed three quarters of the parking lot, and were too far from the field to run away at that point. She tightened her grip on her katana, "It's too late for that"

She couldn't see who was driving the vehicle or how many people were inside, but she didn't have to wait long to find out, as a young dark haired girl appeared from the passenger side, her face lit up with joy, "Michonne!"

Relief swept over her as she recognised the girl, allowing her to breathe, "Thank God"

"Who is it?", Mickey quizzed in haste as he inched closer to his protector, "Is she one of them?"

"Yeah, she is.", Michonne put her hand on the teen's back to encourage him to walk towards the car, "Come on"

She knew they were getting closer to the safe-zone, but she didn't think they would cross paths with anyone so soon, but after seeing the large smile on Tara's face, Michonne couldn't be more pleased. The younger girl through her arms around her shoulders when she was close enough, "I can't believe you're here! What are you doing here? Are you coming back? You're coming back, right?"

"Tara...", Michonne was willing to answer the bunch of questions thrown that were thrown in her direction, but she had to introduce her companion first, "This is Mickey, and Mickey this is Tara"

Tara released her and turned to face the teen, her fist raised in greeting, "Hey"

Mickey began to smile as he looked to Michonne for reassurance, raising his fist to meet hers, "Hey"

"Oh, and this is Heath", Tara swung around to point at the dark skinned male that had popped out of the driver's seat, "Heath, this is Michonne and Mickey. Michonne was with us when we first got to Alexandra"

He furrowed his brows until they disappeared behind the rim of his glasses, "Oh, right"

"Heath was gone on a run when we got there so you didn't meet him but he's one of the originals", Tara went on to explain, adjusting a pair of yellow sunglasses on her head.

"Got it", Michonne nodded, turning her attentions to the car, "Are you heading back there?"

"We are but we have to make a stop at the Hilltop first"

It was Michonne's turn to frown, "The Hilltop?"

Tara blew out a breath as she looked her from head to toe, "Oh boy, do I have a lot to catch you up on. Come on, I'll tell you in the car"

Tara had always been on the friendly side, but placed next to someone like Heath, she seemed even sweeter. The male was quiet, observant and didn't say a word while Tara unearthed heaps of events that had happened in her time away, "...So we found their base and we killed them all. Me and Heath left right after to go on a long run... We have to go to the Hilltop first because of the trade, but we should get home before dark"

Michonne eyed Tara from the back seat, "You killed them all and that was it?"

'Yeah. We had to", The girl insisted, "Sasha, Abraham and Daryl had already ran into these guys and they made it clear what they want. It was only a matter of time before they turned up at the gates"

Michonne kept her gaze low as she thought about the situation, hoping that was where the tale would end. She snuck a peak at Mickey, who had helped himself to one of the many chocolate bars he carried, before she asked carefully, "And the Hilltop?"

"They're cool. Well, Jesus is", Tara shrugged, "Their leader seems like an asshole but I guess someone could say the same about Rick"

Michonne's brows sprang up in surprise, not expecting her to speak that way about the alpha male. She cleared her throat, "Well, I'm glad everyone's alright"

Tara nodded in agreement as she sat back in her seat, "Yeah. Me too"

Michonne gave Mickey a reassuring smile when she caught his eye, mostly for him but partly for herself. She wasn't surprised to learn that there were other communities as they had crossed paths with other people themselves, but the fact that they seemingly managed to get rid of the threat in one attempt left her feeling uneasy. She was sure Rick could remember some of their opponents from their past and the difficulties they faced. It was never as simple as they would have liked, but Rick was a strong man. Easily the strongest person she had ever met, and she was certain that it was because of him that they made it through anything.

Still, she remained quiet on the subject as Heath drove them silently to the place known as the Hilltop. She didn't have any idea what to expect but she trusted the members of her old group's judgement on others.

After spending a rather long stretch of time on the dirt roads of Virginia, Michonne was pleased to see what looked like tall, wooden walls, which were perched on the top of a hill. She noticed that Mickey had perked up, sitting forward in his seat so that he could look through the windshield, his eyes darting from one spot to another. Michonne couldn't explain why she felt even more protective over him when they faced new people, possibly because she knew what kind of threat walkers posed to them. With the undead she had to always question their intentions, whether they really wished to help or if they had ulterior motives. Though it would be easier for her to wrap the teen in cotton wool, she knew it would be near enough impossible to do so, but she would keep him close and hope he learned from her to always stay vigilant, regardless of how safe his surroundings seemed.

"Maggie's here?", Tara announced with a hint of confusion in her tone, her raven brows rising by a hair, "The rest of them must be here too.."

Michonne looked out of her own window, secretly wishing Tara was right, and she was about one thing; Maggie was there, looking over the wall with a rifle in her hands. She wore a cap low but Michonne knew it was her, she could recognize her brown hair and sharp jaw. Once the car had come to a rolling stop, Tara was the first to exit, then Heath, but Michonne hung back to check on the curious teen beside her, "You ready?"

He nodded easily, "Yeah, ready"

They took their turn to step outside and saw that Maggie was no longer there, but the large gates began to creek open, revealing to them a grand, stately home and several residents stood nearby, looking at them with the same sceptical expression that the duo wore. Only seconds later did Maggie reappear and unlike everyone else, she wore a stony expression as she stalked forward.

Michonne would have struggled to explain what happened next if someone had asked. It was as if she could see the brunette battling with herself, coming to a halt when she was only a few feet away. Her emerald green eyes crawled up and down the woman in front of her, her lips pressed together tightly, Michonne didn't move because she simply couldn't. She was too busy trying to figure out what could possibly be going through Maggie's mind.

The incident may have only lasted for a handful of seconds yet it felt like an eternity, but it was just as Michonne prepared to speak that Maggie moved forward once again, and before Michonne could say or do anything else she was wrapped in a tight, warm embrace. The kind of hug you only received when you were truly missed.

"It's good to see you", Maggie finally huffed, pulling away to look at her, "It's been a while"

"It has", She agreed, her eyes skimming over the brunettes face, "How are you?"

It was a general question, not meant to evoke so much emotion but Maggie hesitated to answer, "Come on, come with me"

That was all Michonne needed to hear to fill her with dread. She didn't know what she expected to hear but she knew it wouldn't be good news regardless.

She followed Maggie with Tara and Mickey in tow, partially paying attention to the Hilltop community. From what she could see, they were doing rather well for themselves, She could see farm yard animals, and what looked like a blacksmith station. Everyone looked clean and well kept, and healthy. She could see the appeal.

They were lead inside the stately home, which was even more grand than the exterior, and up a staircase onto the second floor, Michonne looked around in awe, trying to remember the last time she had ever been in such a place.

"This is cool…", Mickey hissed, tilting his head towards her, "Is Alexandria like this?"

Michonne nearly snorted at the insinuation, "No, but it is just as nice, not as fancy"

"In here, we'll get some privacy", Maggie declared, opening up a wooden door with a glossy finish, "It's my room"

Michonne found herself frowning again, and she had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last time,

"...So, where have you been?", Maggie queried lightly once they had all found somewhere to sit in the comfortable sized room, "Have you been back to Alexandria yet?"

"No, we were on our way there when we bumped into Tara", Michonne explained, crossing one leg over the other as she sat in a chair by a desk, "We've been sailing for a while now… checking out a few coasts, seeing what else was out there"

Maggie's eyes widened, "Yeah? And?"

She began to shake her head regretfully, "Pretty much all the same. Nothing new. We ran into a couple of other people who said the same thing wherever they went... deserted"

Maggie's eyes shrunk back to their previous size, "...Right"

"We decided to come back… give 'land' another try", She slowly inhaled as she prepared to ask her own question, "So what's been going on here?"

Maggie's mouth fell agape as she prepared to answer, but Tara briefly cut in, "I told them everything that happened with Negan"

Maggie appeared to wince as she dropped her gaze, "…Not everythan'..."

Michonne sat up straight and uncrossed her legs so she could rest her forearms on her knees, "Tell me Maggie?"

The woman pulled off her cap and threw it on the bed behind her, "Well… they got us. Looking back at it, I guess they set up a trap and we walked right into it. We thought we had killed them all but… we didn't even put a dent in their numbers… so he wanted to make it even"

Tara shifted uneasily against the dresser she was leaning against, "What?"

Maggie's chest ballooned as she took a jagged breath, "He killed Abraham, and he killed Glenn. Both of them… right there in front of us. In front of me. He just… took him right in front me"

Michonne snapped her eyes shut as she ran both hands over face, "No-"

"He did. They're here... Buried here… which is why we're here, me and Sasha", Maggie wiping a single tear away before it had a chance to fall, "And right now, we're all in debt to him. He comes and he takes half of everythan', from us- from Alexandria- the Kingdom… he's got us all backed against the wall and he can't… he can't get away with that. We can't let him"

Michonne hadn't lifted her gaze from the floor yet. She wanted to when she heard the break in Maggie's voice but she was trying to process everything she'd just heard. Her mind wanted to reject the news, not allowing her to accept it just yet. She shook her head in disbelief, "What- where is-"

"He's got Daryl. He took him that night", Maggie continued sombrely, "He's… taken a lot. More from us than I think we took from him, and he knows it, but we can't let it carry on like this. We can't let him win this. I won't"

Tara had sunken to the floor, dumbstruck. She didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular but yet she didn't look anywhere else either. Michonne forced her thoughts into order, and the first thing that came to her mind was to offer comfort to her friend. She reached out her hand and placed it on Maggie's knee as she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Maggie. I really am"

The brunette nodded hurriedly as her eyes glistened once again, "Thank you"

"...I'm with you, every step of the way", She promised, giving her knee a gentle squeeze, "I mean it"

Her earlier fears were confirmed, and news of the latest threat spurred Michonne into action. She didn't want to sit around and wait for something to happen for her to help, she wanted a plan of action made as soon as possible. Their survival depended on it.

Maggie took her time filling her in all the smaller details, and she listened intently, storing every piece of information away in the back of her mind. She wanted to know everything because she had to, she had to know what it was that they were up against, though she wasn't completely taken away by the idea that she could simply storm up to the others and begin making decisions.

There wasn't much concept of time left in the world, so often the days seemed longer, and even longer when you're separated from someone. She could accept that her disappearance could have very well have left some feeling jilted and in no position to want to receive her help in the first place, but she had to try. She could only hope that Rick would understand that because he always understood her; that was what made their friendship so special. They could work in unison with ease because they both prioritised the same things, and they both worked towards the same things. She liked to think that no matter how much time had passed, they would always connect.

In order to find out whether she was right she had to first get to Alexandria, so after spending a good part of the afternoon with Maggie, she insisted that they began their return. Tara was in no state to argue as the younger woman was still in shock, reduced to only nodding or shaking her head in response to any questions directed at her. Mickey seemed to be doing the same, but Michonne knew that it was because of the seriousness of the situation.

Soon enough, they were back on the old dirt roads and heading back to the safe-zone. Michonne spent a large part of the journey in her own mind, thinking about Glenn and Abraham, asking herself the question of the hour; would she have been able to save them if she stuck around? Judging by all that Maggie had told her, the man named Negan was out for blood regardless, and it seemed that he would have been rewarded anyway he could. That didn't stop her from feeling guilty though. Had she been there, she could have comforted her friends sooner.

Mickey kindly held out a KitKat bar to her when they neared their destination, which she accepted even though she had no appetite, It was his small way of initiating a conversation between the two, and possibly a chance to cheer her up the moment. She appreciated his gesture greatly, but their arrival at the old steel gates overshadowed the moment.

All of a sudden she was overcome with nerves. She was there, back behind the walls of the place she called home, but it didn't feel like home and instead she felt like a visiting stranger.

It was deafeningly quiet, the streets almost empty. They were greeted at the gate by the only man she knew who still sported a mullet. Eugene was friendly but noticeably reserved, although he was at Tara's side when he saw her.

"So… this is it?", Mickey uttered quietly as he placed himself in her shadow, "It is nice,,,"

"Yeah. It is", Michonne looked towards the row of homes on the street further away from them, "Come on, maybe one of the other kids can give you a tour while I look for a few "

Neither was surprised by the strange stares they received from the few residents that dotted the pavements. Most probably wouldn't even remember her and none of them had seen Mickey before. It didn't help they were under siege by a merciless group, so they had a right to be weary.

"Where did you live?", Mickey asked casually, still holding on to his garbage bag tightly, "Are you gonna' go back there?...Will you have room for me?"

She had to look at him to reply, "I didn't really live anywhere. When we first got here we all stayed in one house, and I left before we could pick our own place… So I will make sure that there is enough room for both of us wherever we go, okay?"

"Okay."

She eyed him with a mischievous grin, "Look at you getting spoilt, If I remember correctly we had to share a tiny room with four other people on a boat-"

The corner of his lips curled up to reveal a small smile, "Yeah but that was on a _boat_ , we had no choice. If I get the chance to have my own room and not have your feet in my face, then I'll take it"

She gasped playfully at him, "Do you know how many people would die to have my feet in their face?"

"No, but I can guess how many people would die from having your feet in their face", He replied easily, " _Everyone_ "

Michonne nudged the teen, causing him to snicker at his own joke while she snarled at him, "Just for that you're sleeping in the nearest closet"

They came up to the house she was looking for and she was struck with a funny little memory of Carl's reaction to the home the first time they set their sights on it. Rick's son was undoubtedly the only person that she could hardly wait to see. She didn't know who she'd find living there but hopefully it was another familiar face, or someone who could point them in the direction of someone she knew.

She climbed the porch steps and made her way towards the door, noticing that Mickey had stationed himself at the bottom of the stairs after she knocked. She was hit with a wave of anxiety as she waited patiently, which was only magnified by the time it took for someone to appear, but when the person did finally open the door, she was hit with another wave of dread.

Lori looked at her wide eyed as she leaned on the doorframe, releasing her name in a barely audible whisper, "Michonne?"

"Hey", Michonne took a small step back, "How are you?"

Lori smirked without a smile, "I should be the one asking you that- where- did you just-"

"Just got here", She answered for her, "We ran into Tara and.. Uh, Heath? They were coming back from their run…"

Lori nodded at a sloths pace as her brown eyes slid over Michonne's shoulder, "We?"

"That's Mickey", Michonne glanced back herself, and wasn't surprised to see that the teen was busy rifling through his garbage bag of junk, "I joined up with his group but it's just us now"

Lori's chest rose as she tore her gaze away from him, "I see…"

It was Michonne's turn to look over Lori's shoulder, "...We saw Maggie at the Hilltop, she told us what happened…"

The slender woman grew visibly tense, "Yeah… Well, at least you're up to date"

"I'm sorry", Michonne offered sincerely, locking eyes with Lori.

She pushed off the doorframe and adjusted the white blouse she wore, her eyes darting around aimlessly, "Thank you."

Michonne felt as uncomfortable as she looked, "...Where is everyone?"

Lori blew out a breath as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Well, uh… Rosita's here, we just found out that Carol's with Morgan at the Kingdom...you obviously saw Maggie and probably Sasha too-"

"Rick? Carl?", Michonne didn't mean to hurry the woman but she seemed to purposely take her time.

Lori dropped her gaze for a moment as she rolled her shoulders back, "Carl is here. He's in his room and Rick went out on run with Aaron.. If you remember who that is…"

Michonne huffed, ready to tackle the serious subject that loomed over their heads, "Yeah, I do... Well I talked to Maggie and Sasha and they think that something needs to be done, and I agree with them. I want to help you all-"

"Michonne, please just-", Lori held a hand up to stop her as her expression became strained, "Just hold on a minute, please? Can I just… get something off my chest?"

Michonne froze, remaining quiet so the woman could speak.

"I am glad to see that you're back and that you're okay, and I mean that because so many of us were worried about you", Lori insisted in a hoarse tone, "But you have to sit back and let Rick handle this. You were his right-hand woman and you were a great help, I have you to thank for so much but you also have a tendency to spark something in Rick that we don't need right now. We've lost so much, and now we're up against someone who… who could leave us with nothing and Rick- Rick needs to understand that we won't win every battle. We can't always win every battle. We have children and I don't want them to lose their father in vain, I don't want to lose anyone else in vein"

None of what Lori said came as a surprise to Michonne. She had always known that the woman would rather play it safe, at whatever cost, but she still felt the need to counter her argument, "Lori, I get it-"

"I feel like I've only just got my husband back", Lori pushed on as she dropped her hands to her side, "He's… he was so arrogant before, he thought he was unstoppable, invincible even! But the Rick I know, the Rick I married… he's here again. He's thinking about us and he's thinking about the others and I just don't… I don't want you to lead him back to where you left him. He's doing what he can to keep the peace and let us live another day, and he's our leader so we will follow his lead. If you're back for good then please just respect that"

Michonne had to swallow her argument, but not because she agreed with Lori, but because she knew it was pointless arguing with someone who had already made up their mind. She chose to move away from the topic, "Carl? Can I see him?"

Lori sighed as she looked back over her own shoulder, "Honestly, now's not a good time, but I'll let him know that you're back"

It was the last straw for Michonne, she began to back away, "Alright, thanks"

"I am glad you're back Michonne, I mean that", Lori added hurriedly, "But please remember what I said"

"Thanks.", Michonne nodded as she spun around, waiting until her back was facing the woman before she muttered, "For nothing".


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"It's enough. That should hold them over for a while"

Rick eyed the back of the truck for what felt like the hundredth time. He believed Aaron, it looked like enough for them, but not the saviours. To make matters worse, his people needed those supplies and they needed the food, but he needed Negan off his back more.

"Leave it here", He ordered firmly as he began to walk away from the vehicle, "They can take it when they leave, they won't need to come any further"

"Got it", Aaron agreed, beginning to walk in the opposite direction.

Everything about Rick's Body hurt. He was sore, tired. The thought of being able to go home and lay down made him shudder in delight. Recent events had kept him busy, and not to mention in a constant state of distressed. Even if he did go home and rest, it was only helping him physically. Mentally, he couldn't find peace, not with the threat of the Savior's hanging over his head.

He had only opened his front door by an inch when he was hit by the smell of vegetable casserole. Lori's panic dish. His nerves were already tense so he couldn't contract them any further, but he knew something was wrong. It seemed that whenever she was experiencing some kind of discomfort for whatever reason; that was what she cooked. Rick wasn't sure if it was because it involved handling sharp knives and a lot of cutting, but she would fly around the kitchen like a bat out of hell preparing it, trying to take her mind off of whatever was bothering her. He would have groaned if he had the strength.

"You're back", She breather, a hint of surprise in her tone, "How did it go?"

Rick walked straight towards the armchair, eager to rip his boots off, "We got some stuff. Should be enough"

She released a sigh of relief as she sat forward on the couch, "Thank God"

He yanked one of his boots off as he gave her the once over, "Carl alright? Judith?"

"Fine", She insisted, nodding as she glanced towards the staircase, "They've been fine."

He continued to stare at her as he pulled off the other boot, "So what's the problem?"

Lori was going to lie. He could see it. She began to shake her head but stopped. Her big brown eyes rolled a second time, but not out of relief, "I just want everything to go smoothly tomorrow"

He didn't believe that. Well, he believed that she did want their trade with the Saviors to go well, but he didn't believe that it was what she was thinking about. He was too tired to probe, "It will. It has to"

She stared through him with glazed eyes, "...Things aren't great right now, but… if we just continue the way we have then… Carl will live. Judith will live. Our family will survive- we can keep this place going, Rick"

She had his full attention, he wanted to know what had inspired her speech, "You worried about somethan'?"

Her eyes focused on him, "I just… I need you to promise me that you won't...you won't-"

"I won't what?"

Lori's shoulders fell as she peered at the space around him, "You listen to me now Rick. I don't feel like… like we're in two different worlds anymore. I feel like you've finally realised that I do want the same things as you, and that I want to protect everyone here just as much as you… And I don't want anything or anyone to change that. I need you to promise me that"

It was Rick's turn to stare at her with glazed eyes, his mind working overtime as he gave her a robotic reply, "...I have always listened to you, Lori"

"No… that's not true. For a while you didn't, but it's not like that anymore and I just want you to…to remember that I'm here", She placed a lean hand on her chest, "And we will get through this together, but only if you remember that"

Rick felt oddly uncomfortable, still unsure of the reason for his wife's declaration and having seen that she was eager for reassurance from him only made him frown even more. He cleared his throat quietly, "We will get through this together. All of us. Tomorrow will go smoothly and after that we'll continue to do what we did before; we survive"

Lori nodded slowly as her gaze crept away, "Yeah. We survive. That's what we need to focus on…"

Anyone else may have felt the need to ask their spouse more questions if they detected a disturbance in their character, but Rick didn't. He found it pointless when it came to Lori.

His wife had a tendency to withhold things from him until forced to open up. Whether that was because she was battling with the idea of speaking with him or because she wanted him to chase her for the answers, he wasn't sure. He just knew that he was tired of it.

It was no secret that they had grown apart, he knew it and she knew it. The outbreak had put a strain on their marriage and neither of them held the ability to bounce back. He knew that she didn't agree with any of the choices he had made in the past and he couldn't always understand her way of thinking, so they had been on opposing sides for quite some time but when he had others nearby that were on his side, it didn't really matter.

He had Glenn, he had Daryl, and most of all he had Michonne. They were three people that he trusted whole heartedly, without a shadow of doubt. He could count on them, turn to them, and he could easily admit that he felt indestructible with those people at his side, but that was no longer the case.

Glenn was gone, which was probably what hurt him the most because he'd never see the other man again. Daryl and Michonne were gone, and he had no idea if he would see either one of them again. He could seek a tiny bit of solace in the fact that he knew where Daryl was, but not Michonne. He didn't know where she was or if she was safe, and it was one of the most prominent thoughts that kept him up at night.

He stayed on the couch with a busy mind long after Lori went upstairs to bed, and he was only able to sleep for a few short hours. The community were to expect their second visit from Negan that day, and he needed it over and done with. Having to play nice with the man who killed two of his own was near enough demoralising. He wanted nothing more than the chance to make Negan suffer for all he had done, but he couldn't. They were outnumbered, and like he had said many times before, he couldn't afford to lose anyone else.

"Good morning, son", He called tiredly as he trudged into the kitchen, noticing Carl by the fridge.

The teen muttered something back as he closed the door and moved towards the cabinets, making no attempt to look back at his father and Rick didn't expect him too. He knew his son wasn't happy with his approach to Saviors; he had made that clear at every chance he got. He wasn't the type of boy that would mince his words and Rick admired that about him, but he didn't have time to argue.

"I want you to hang back here today, look after your sister", Rick instructed firmly once he had drank a glass of water, "We need to get this over with"

Carl shot his father an unforgiving look as he carried a bowl of oatmeal out the kitchen. It wouldn't have been so bad if his son was sporting his eye patch, but seeing the empty socket where his right eye used to be always pained Rick. It was a brutal reminder to him that he couldn't always protect his family.

Cooing echoed throughout the home, signalling to Rick that Lori was busy bathing Judith so he took a shower in the downstairs bathroom and prepared to leave his home. He needed everyone ready for the upcoming visit.

The Safe-zone was deathly quiet once again. It was nothing knew, and possibly why they hadn't had any walkers at the wall for some time. Rick passed Gabriel in the street, who held his machete close as he patrolled. He saw a few other residents doing the same and he was thankful that they already knew what to do, and it made his job easier.

"Rick", Tobin called, sprinting towards him from the pantry as Rick passed the home, "You have a minute?"

Rick stopped, looking the tall man from head to toe, "What is it?"

Tobin huffed when he stopped, lowering his voice considerably, "I uh, I hope you don't mind but I hid some stuff… food, medicine…"

Rick felt rage begin to bubble in his stomach, "What?"

"Not a lot but just enough to get us all through the-"

"Put it all back", He demanded, pointing towards the pantry, "Now."

Tobin's shoulders fell in defeat, "If they come in here and take even half of that stuff then we'll all-"

"If they search this place when they get here and find out that we were holding out on them then someone could die", Rick spat back, "You want that hanging over your head? Or will you step forward and say that you did it?"

Tobin exhaled tiredly as he looked to the sky, "...We don't have much left"

"You think I don't know that? You think I haven't been in there?", Rick rolled his knuckles as he surveyed the area around them, "We'll leave as soon as they're gone. We'll head up to the Hilltop and then the kingdom… see if they can help us out"

"Right", Tobin scratched the back of his head as he followed his lead, but his eyes found a strange sight and stayed there, "Who's that?"

Rick glanced at the tall man and then peered in the direction that caught his attention. Rick had to frown when he spotted the curly haired young man sat on the steps of one of the townhouses, removing the wrapper of something without a care in the world. Rick didn't stop frowning, "I don't know. Go put the stuff back, I'll check him out"

Tobin simply nodded at the command, but didn't take his eyes off the boy as he backed away. Rick marched towards him, wondering if things had gotten so bad at Alexandria that just anyone could walk in and no one would question it.

"...Uh", The boy uttered nervously when he saw Rick stepping towards him, lowering his chocolate bar and looking up towards the house nervously. He looked to be around the same age as Carl, but nowhere near as hardened as his own son.

Rick stopped by the bottom step, "You here with someone?"

The teen nodded, "Yeah."

Rick stared at him, obviously waiting for him to continue.

"Uh, Michonne? She used to live here…"

Rick almost drew back in surprise. He didn't need the boy to repeat himself because he heard him loud and clear, but he still found himself uttering, "Michonne?"

"...Yeah", He nodded a second time, looking even more anxious than he did seconds before.

Rick inhaled carefully as he peered up at the home, then back and forth up the street. He didn't know what to say or do with himself, but he forced himself to concentrate, "What's your name?"

"Mickey", The teen looked back towards the house again as he used his thumb to point towards the door, "Should I go get her?"

Rick shook his head immediately, "Nah, go on. I'll come in"

Mickey hesitated for a second but did as he was told, skipping up the remainder of the steps. Rick followed him while trying his best to put his racing mind at ease. The person who he had the most trust in had returned. The woman who had saved his life, his families' lives, countless times was back in the safe zone and only a matter of steps away. He was stunned to say the least.

Everything went to hell after she snuck away in the night. He didn't blame her for doing so, everything would have still gone to hell if she had said goodbye, but he would have appreciated some kind of explanation. He could have encouraged her to stay so they could have worked on her demons together. She had offered that kind of help for him on numerous occasions and it felt only right that he'd do the same in return. He wanted to help her, he would have given anything to piece together whatever puzzle she needed whole, but she robbed him of any chance to do so. She was as stubborn as she was selfless and he knew that once she had made up her mind there was little anyone could do to sway her.

"Michonne?", Mickey called as he walked into the house, heading towards the stairs, "Michonne?"

"Yeah?", She called back from the open plan living and kitchen area, her tone relaxed and friendly.

Mickey pointed to the doorway, "She's in there"

Rick eyed the boy strangely, as it was pretty obvious that she could only be in that room, but he figured that Mickey was doing all he could to stay on anyone's good side, so he gave him a brief nod as her mumbled, "Thanks"

Michonne was frozen in place when he walked into view, holding a cup in her hand and leaning against the kitchen counter. Her expression was pensive, as if she wouldn't say or do anything until he did, so Rick used it as an opportunity to look her over; she was wearing a black tank top and black pants that looked as though they'd been cleaned but were still well worn. She had found herself a new black and white, patterned scarf for her hair, which she wore like a crown. She looked fine, perfectly fine, nothing to indicate that she had been in any trouble at all. Warmth washed over him.

He sniffed as he began walking towards her again, "Where'd you go?"

"...A few places", She replied in a soft tone, slowly lowering her cup to the counter.

"Yeah? In Virginia?", He raised an eyebrow at her.

"No. We were at sea for the most part."

His eyebrow arched even further, "At sea?"

She gave a little nod for confirmation, "Yeah."

Rick was genuinely amazed to hear that, "How'd you end up at sea?"

"I met a group. They had been out for a while and they stopped to search for supplies", She explained, dropping her brown eyes to the cup in front of her.

"Is that how you met him?", Rick reached the opposite side of the counter and stopped.

"Yes…"

He bit his lip as he examined her from close range, "What made you come back?"

She gave a little shrug of her shoulder which indicated to him that she was lying, her eyes rolling up to meet his, "Just felt it was time to come back"

"You just woke up one day and decided to come back?", He challenged, his eyes narrowing at her.

"Something like that", She tapped her finger against the cup, "I saw Lori. I haven't seen Carl or Judith, yet"

Ricks face fell blank. All of a sudden his wife's strange behaviour from the night before made sense, "Is that so?"

"It is", She shifted her weight from one leg to another, "...This all feels pretty formal…"

He smirked as he bowed his head and scratched at his brow with his thumb, "I guess I'm just in shock right now"

"You shouldn't be. I wouldn't have stayed gone forever", She insisted lightly, "You still owe me twenty dollars"

A chuckle burst from his lips as he lifted his head, "I do, don't I?"

"You do", She smiled, and if it was as if all of his problems vanished in thin air, "You know how hard money is to come by now-"

"Why'd you leave?", He ejected, his own smile slipping away, "I need to know, Michonne"

In a split second his problems returned. She clammed up, her shoulders stiffening, "It doesn't matter. I'm here now"

"It matters. You matter", He pressed, inching closer to the island, "And I'm not sure if I told you that enough before but you do-"

"I'm not ready to talk about it, Rick", There was an edge to her tone, but she appeared to remove it when she spoke again, "Maggie told me what happened"

He stopped moving, his nerves standing to attention, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry", She breathed, her eyes darting all over his face.

"So am I", He felt the need to look elsewhere, "Listen, thangs aren't… they aren't the way they were before-"

"I know.", She mimicked him, looking down at her cup, "Why is that?"

"...Because I can't afford to lose any more people", He explained, raking his fingers through his hair, "I can't afford for us to lose this place. We're up against somethan' that could take everythan' we have away and we've fought too hard to get here. It's… it's not an option. Fighting isn't an option"

He could see her fine brows begin to knit together, "...It's not?"

"No, Michonne. It's not. Not this time", He dropped his hand to his side, "We need to focus on surviving, and if that means we… we don't fight back then that's what we do. We have too much to lose, and it's not worth it. Losing anyone else is not worth it"

"...Maggie lost her husband", She brought her gaze up to meet his, "She thinks it's worth it. Sasha lost Abraham… she thinks so, too"

Rick exhaled tiredly as he took half a step backwards, "They aren't here. I can't stop them from doing anythan'... and I don't blame them for wanting to do somethan'-"

"But you won't do anything", She summarised in a defeated tone, "We won't do anything"

"Because we can't"

"Because you're afraid to try", She lifted her cup from the counter and started toward the sink.

"I am. I'll admit that", He retorted defensively, "I'm afraid that trying will get Carl killed. Or Daryl, or Maggie- now you're here I have to worry about you, too. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if one more person dies because I didn't prevent it. Doing nothing is preventing it, Michonne, so if that's what it takes then that's what we do."

She sat her cup down in the sink harshly, "So they come, they take, they leave you with nothing… and we do nothing."

Rick had to control his breathing, so he looked away as he did so. He wasn't surprised by her reaction.

"That doesn't sound like the kind of survival that I'm used to.", She sighed again, resting both hands on the counter top as she looked out the window, "And I don't think it's something I can get used to. You can't make it this far just to give up… We didn't fight every single step of the way just to give up. We didn't lose so many people along the way just to give up here…"

He met her back with stony eyes, "It's not worth anyone's life, and I need you to see that"

"None of anything that we've done was worth someone's life", Her dreads wiped through the air as she spun around to look at him, "But those were the risks that we took"

"Well we can't take risks anymore", He raised his hand to stop her, "We just can't"

Rick knew her well enough to know that she couldn't be more against his views if she tried. Her dark brown eyes examined his once more before she turned around again, not uttering another word.

He ran a hand over his face in frustration, "Did you get back yesterday?"

"...Yeah", She answered quietly as she turned on the tap at the sink.

The last thing Rick wanted was to argue with her so soon into their reunion. Up until a few minutes beforehand he didn't even know he would ever see her again, but now they were face to face and the community's current situation was already driving a wedge between them. He huffed, feeling deflated, "Carl would love to see you. He'd be glad that your back"

She stilled for only a second, but continued to turn the tap off and head away from the sink, "I'll see him."

He held out his hand to stop her from walking past him. She did, and he almost regretted doing so as he struggled to find the right words to convey just how happy he was to see her, "He's missed you. We all have"

She finally softened, no longer standing rigidly in front of him, "I've missed you all to"

The moment felt right for him to pull her into an embrace, and as soon as he felt her warmth he knew he was right. He sat his head on top of hers as he sighed, "I can't believe you've been at sea this whole time"

He felt her giggle against him, "Yeah. I thought I'd give it a try…"

"Did you bring any fish?"

"Did you bring my twenty dollars?"

He snorted at her, "I don't think I'll ever see one of those again, Michonne. I didn't even think that I'd see my best friend again. "

She snickered, "Don't get all sappy on me, old man"

They broke away from each other, and Rick couldn't resist tugging at her scarf as he did, "You went shopping, too?"

She playfully swatted his hand away, "Get off. I lost my old one"

He shook his head, "You didn't. It's still here"

Her eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Yeah.", Rick swiftly remembered that he had to do one more lap of the town before manning the front gate, "...I have to go. They're coming…"

Michonne slipped back into defensive mode, "Today?"

"Today.", He confirmed as he backed away.

She began to move, "I'm coming"

Her admission both pleased and worried Rick, but he didn't say anything as they made their way to the opened front door, where Mickey had placed himself back on the step. The teen stood up in haste when he noticed them, shoving the last piece of chocolate he held in his mouth, "Uh…"

"Come on", Michonne ordered, closing the door behind her as she stepped out the house.

Rick stopped on the steps to look back at her, his light brows rising in question.

"He's not staying there on his own", She explained, dropping her voice to a low mutter as she hopped down the remaining steps.

Rick tore his gaze away from her and looked at Mickey, who gave him a small, nervous smile, "Cool."

Rick inhaled slowly as he descended the steps, reminding himself that Michonne had a habit of adopting children. He had witnessed her do the same with his son for a short while, and he could understand why Carl was so drawn to her; there wasn't much of an age difference between her and his wife, but Michonne had a very different approach to the boy.

Lori still desperately tried to make Carl remain a child, even when it was clear that he did nothing to suggest that was the case. She resented Rick for giving him a gun and teaching him how to use it. She didn't like the way he tried to give their son some sort of responsibility, and it was the root of many of their arguments, so he gave in. It was easier to do so when he realised they couldn't defeat the Saviors, and a good excuse to keep his son out of harm's way, though it fractured both he and Lori's relationship with the teen.

Michonne on the other hand, had a much more relaxed approach to Carl. While she had always been fiercely protective over him, she still offered him little bursts of freedom when he was with her. Rick still didn't have a clue what they bonded over, but he knew they had their secrets and that didn't bother him. If anything, it made him glad that his son had someone to talk to if it wasn't himself or his wife, but it was just one of the many things that lined the underlying tensions between Michonne and Lori.

Rick understood why the two women would always be on opposite ends of the playing field, and while it annoyed him that his wife hadn't informed him of Michonne's return earlier, he realised that her old fears had been unearthed and she did need reassurance more than ever because she was threatened by a woman who was completely oblivious to the role she played in their marriage. As far as Michonne knew, she and Lori where at odds because they couldn't see eye to eye on how to protect the group. She had no idea that it might be because of anything else, and Rick could only hope that it would stay that way.

He stayed ahead while Michonne walked with Mickey, and the two of them had their own little private conversation. He could see more residents outside of their homes, mulling around but not straying too far, prepared for another anxious day. Some looked at him with ease and some didn't. There had been a divide in the community from the moment he started to make himself known, but after their encounter with Negan the divide grew even further. He didn't expect everyone to agree with the things he did, and he had no doubt in his mind that there were some that thought of him as a terrible leader, but that didn't matter to him. He saw it as his duty to protect them, so he would.

"We're gonna' wait up here…", Rick declared, tipping his head towards the watchtower by the gates, where Aaron was already standing guard. He shared a brief exchange with Michonne when he saw them but was eager to keep watch, as was Rick, "Everythan's in that truck, so I don't want them to go any further than the lawn"

Michonne looked at the old truck that was parked nearby, squinting due to the sun, "...Did they go further before?"

He peered down at his old boots as he shifted his position, "They have done."

"...Is that why nobody has any guns?", She continued to squint at him, though she turned her back to the sun.

"Yeah", He replied regretfully.

Michonne let out a small sigh as she crossed her arms, mumbling something along the lines of, "...No wonder we can't fight back"

"It's more than just that Michonne…", Rick began, but stopped when he remembered that they weren't alone. He eyed Mickey, "You wanna' head up there?"

Mickey looked at the ladder that led to the tower and shrugged, "Sure"

Rick waited until the teenager was out of earshot before he continued to speak, "He has more people than we originally thought. Even if we did try anythan' then we'd be out numbered-"

"The Hilltop? Have you forgotten about them?", She countered, using one of her hands to shield her eyes as she looked up at him, "And what about that other place?"

"The kingdom?", He frowned at her, "Have you been over there?"

"No, I haven't-"

"Well its run by some guy that thinks he's a king, and everyone there plays along with it. He sits on his little thrown with a damn tiger beside him and they all talk weird", Rick hissed, "There, I just saved you the trip"

Michonne stared at him, "What?"

"You heard me", He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck furiously as his gaze sailed over the community, "I told you, there's a whole lot more going on than what you think"

"Then tell me", She urged, her eyes glued to the side of his face, "I need to know-"

"They're here!", Aaron announced, peering over the metal wall with Mickey nearby. He glanced back over his shoulder to look for Rick, but he was already making his way towards the gate.

"Get up there", Rick instructed to Michonne as she followed him. He could already see a truck in the horizon, and he knew to expect at least a handful of vehicles but he still only opened the gate halfway, hoping to stop them in their tracks, "I mean it Michonne, go on"

"No", She didn't move, instead she stood right by the gates with her arms crossed over her chest defiantly, her gaze stuck on the upcoming vehicle.

Rick was hit with a reminder of how stubborn she could be, and luckily for her he didn't have time to argue. The first truck came to a rolling stop only a few feet away from the gate. Rick glanced behind him when he heard footsteps approaching, and several residents crept closer, including Rosita, Tara and Heath. He raised his hand to stop them, not needing anyone to come any further.

"What on God's green earth is this?!", Negan boomed from somewhere between the trucks.

Saviours had begun to pour out of their vehicles, quickly filling the narrow driveway that led to the Safe-Zone. Rick eyed the ones that he could see, trying to memorise some of the faces that had taken joy in terrorising them, when he saw a familiar face in the crowd.

Daryl looked worn out, wearing a dirty sweatshirt and pants, his hair stuck to his face and neck. A breath hitched in Rick's throat as he tried to catch the other man's eyes but Daryl wouldn't look up. He kept his head low and his gaze even lower. It didn't take long for Negan to appear, swinging his bat up and onto his shoulder as he strolled carelessly towards the gate. He wore a confused look, his eyes combing over Rick and then the gate, "Um, excuse the fuck out of me, but what do you think you're doing?"

"Everythan's in that truck", Rick used his thumb to point at the vehicle behind them, "Take it."

Negan scoffed, followed by a disbelieving chuckle, "Well thank you, but I think it's actually pretty rude that you're trying to stop us from coming in"

Rick slowly inhaled, "Everythan's in the truck."

Negan's smile tightened as he dropped the bat to his side and stepped closer, lowering tone as he asked sinisterly, "Is your wife in the truck, too?"

Rick bit his tongue as he looked over the taller man's shoulder. Despite everything he was trying to accomplish, he still wanted to hurt Negan. In fact, he wanted to be the person to kill him, but he couldn't and nothing aggravated him more.

All Negan had to do is raise his hand, and his people began to move. One person proceeded to open the gate and the others poured in, and soon enough the trucks engines roared to life again as they slowly made their way into Alexandria.

"Did you forget about my generous proposition?", Negan sighed as he rocked his hand back and forth, his bat swinging from side to side.

Rick tore his attentions away from the traffic moving past them, "No."

"Of course not, because that would be stupid", Negan snickered, his eyes dancing with amusement as he looked behind Rick, "Well, hello there? Who's this?"

Rick ignored the man's question, knowing he was more than likely looking at Michonne, "There's more than half in that truck. Take it."

Negan was no longer amused when he peered down at Rick, and his faux charm vanished almost instantly, "I will take it. I will take the truck and now, I think I'll take your wife, too"

Rick immediately froze, unable to utter anything else but, "No-"

"Yes", Negan growled, his devilish smile appearing again as he leaned in closer, "Now go and get her".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Michonne couldn't be sure whether the scene in front of her was actually happening. Despite everything she had heard leading up to that moment; she still couldn't believe things had gotten that bad. She was wrong.

The man she thought so highly of had fallen. She didn't even recognise Rick anymore, and that scared her. The Rick she knew would never allow someone to have him backed into a corner in such away, he would fight dirty before he allowed that to happen, but that wouldn't be the case anymore.

Negan was looming over him with a horrid smile on his face. The kind of smile you expect to see on the most demented. He was getting pure enjoyment out of watching his opponent crumble under his rule. Michonne wanted to be the reason he no longer smiled.

"You know what?", Negan began sinisterly, "How about I'll go get her myself?"

"I'll get her", The words flew from Michonne's mouth so quickly that she almost questioned if she had said it. She stood tall, not usually one to act without a plan but it was too late to back down. She'd caught his eye.

Rick looked at her dumbfounded, his eyebrows rising to his forehead, "Wha-"

"I like her.", Negan snickered, nudging Rick on his arm, "No B.S. Just _right_ to the point."

Michonne ignored him as she looked at Rick, hoping he hadn't forgotten all that they were capable of communicating to each other through eye contact, "You said so yourself, we can't lose any more people. We have to do this"

"Mich-", Rick looked as if he were going to choke on his words, "No-"

"We have to.", She looked at him hard, hoping he would understand that she was trying to offer a way out of this, but he seemed to really believe that she was volunteering to fetch his wife. She clenched her fists out of frustration as she turned on the balls of her feet and began marching away.

"Michonne! No!", Rick barked after her.

"Hey! You're not going anywhere!", Negan barked back, leading Michonne to believe that he had stopped him from following her, which worked in her favour.

Her mind raced as she made her way across the safe-zone, noticing that Saviors were going in and out of homes when it dawned on her that she would have to get to the Grimes household before anyone else did, so she picked up the pace, nearly sprinting to the grey home. A group of men had entered the house next door, and when she was sure that they weren't focussed on her, she ran across the street and up the porch steps.

She burst through the door and immediately noticed Lori stood by one of the window peering out from behind the drapes timidly. Michonne shut the door behind her and hissed, "Get down!"

Lori jumped away from the window in a fright, "What? What's going on?"

"Come on!", Michonne ordered as she powered through the home, "Negan want's you- he said I could come and get you but I need you to hide- where can you hide?"

Lori appeared to be in shock, her eyes darting one way or the other, "What? He- what?"

"Hey! Focus! Where can you hide?", Michonne snapped, "Hurry!"

"Uh-Uh, upstairs! The attic- it has a secret door, we only found it recently-"

"Come on!", Michonne pointed to the steps and ushered Lori towards them, "Where's Carl? Judith?"

"They're up here already"

She was correct, as Carl was stood at one of the bedroom doors when they reached the second floor. Even at such a sensitive time, Michonne still found herself astonished to see the teen, and even more astonished to see him sporting an eye patch. A wave of questions began to flood her mind but she ignored them as she looked for the hidden door that Lori spoke of, "Where?"

"There- we need a chair or something to reach it", Lori seemed to hover on the spot, her eyes darting everywhere like pinballs.

"No time", Michonne placed one hand flat on the wall and foot on the stair railing, and jumped with a burst, using the foot on the railing to give her some leverage, and securing the other foot against the wall. She reached up and grabbed the circular handle, pulling it down with her as she jumped and a ladder rolled free once the door was open, "Go on- get up there"

"The kids! I have to take them!", Lori hissed, holding onto the ladder to keep it down.

"No! I'm telling Negan that you left or something, Carl will back me up", Michonne insisted, looking back at the teen by the door, "So go!"

"I don't want Carl near him", Lori warned, her eyes wide with panic.

Michonne was losing patience, "Lori- Do this or you go with Negan. The choice is yours."

It seemed that Lori wasn't given a choice, as they heard the front door burst open on the ground floor. Michonne shoved the other woman onto the ladder, and waited until she was half way up to let go, so the door rolled upwards on its own and closed with a soft thud. Michonne would have breathed a sigh of relief but she could hear the Savioirs spilling into the home, so she whispered to Carl, "Where's Judith?"

Carl looked towards the bedroom opposite him and answered in a deeper voice than she remembered, "In there"

"Get her."

They ransacked homes, but came out with nothing. They were just causing mindless destruction. She left the Grimes household with Carl and Judith, certain that they wouldn't find Lori once they finished tearing apart the upper floor of the house. There was no point in what they were doing, but the men and women laughed and smiled among each other as if it were just an average day for them. Michonne carried Judith away, surprised to see how much the little girl had grown. She discreetly inhaled her clean scent, wishing that it wouldn't be under these circumstances that they were reunited.

"I can't believe you're back…", Carl finally uttered beside her. He had been wearing a shocked and slightly disgusted look on his face since he saw her, his eye combining her over time and time again, "Are you with them now?"

"No", Michonne replied a little sternly, using Judith to block her mouth so she could speak freely, "I got back yesterday, I've just had stuff to do before I saw you"

"Does my dad know?"

"I saw him before they got here", She explained, wishing he would wait to have this discussion with her, "You tell them she left hours ago, said she was going to the pantry or something. We have to make it seem like she just disappeared and left you guys"

"Like you did?"

Michonne almost groaned. She should have known that she'd find herself at the receiving end of his anger, but once again, she still hoped he would have waited to lash her with his words, "Yes, Carl. Like what _I_ did."

His lip curled in disgust as he looked away from her, "Got it."

Negan was still at the front gate tormenting Rick where she'd left them. He'd made the fallen leader hold his barbed wire bat, which she assumed was the instrument used to murder his victims. Rick's expression changed from pained to bewildered when he saw his children, his gaze bouncing from one face to another while Negan seemed to be even more intrigued, "Oh look- It's two of my favourite people!"

"Bite me.", Carl spat venomously as he stopped a few feet away from the man, leaving everyone around them somewhat shocked.

Negan only laughed heartily as he slapped his hand on Rick's shoulder, "Oh man, that kid of yours is the best thing you've ever done. You really fucked up with him and it's just comedy gold"

"What's going on?", Rick questioned, not responding to Negan's jeers.

"She's not there", Michonne replied, adjusting her hold on Judith, "She told them she was going to the pantry but she didn't come back"

Rick frowned at her, "What?"

"She left.", Carl ejected flatly, "She said she was coming back but she didn't even go to the pantry"

Negan made an unimpressed sigh, "Well, you better go look for her then."

"Uh, wait…", Michonne was almost horrified to hear Mickey say something, but he did, leading everyone to look up at him curiously, "Uh did she have like…long dark hair? Skinny?"

Michonne slowly nodded as she tried to figure out where he was going with his question, "Yes?"

Mickey cringed, "Uh… I let her out a few hours ago… She said she was just going to get some supplies… I thought it was okay? I don't know- I'm new here"

Michonne could have hugged the teen. She turned back to Rick, who finally seemed to have caught on to the tale that they were writing before his very eyes. He faked shock, "What? Wh-which way did she go?"

"Just straight up that road but I lost sight of her after a while", Mickey lied perfectly, his eyes wide as he too faked shock, "I'm sorry… I didn't know"

Negan sucked air between his teeth as he rolled his eyes, "Wow. _This_ is awkward… You're pretty much a single dad, now. That's not sexy at all, especially with that freak show of a boy you got."

Rage began to boil in Michonne's stomach as she leered at the man angrily, and she could see that Rick was battling with them same; his jaw clenched, eyes cold and focused.

"How about I cheer you up, huh?", Negan teased, "I'll kill that little twerp for letting that skirt of yours run off"

"You won't", Michonne shot back, handing Judith back to her brother.

Negan spun around and looked at her with a highly amused grin, "Oh… You are fun."

Michonne wasn't so unaware of her surroundings. She knew they were outnumbered, and she knew that she risked getting herself killed, but she was inclined to protect Mickey at all costs, so stood her ground.

"You know…", Negan took his bat from Rick before resting an arm on his shoulder, "Nothing turns me on more than a woman with a pair of beach ball sized lady nuts"

Michonne continued to stare at the man with fire in her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"The dark, strong, silent type", Negan tilted his head to the side as his gaze crawled up to her face, "My, my. There's a lot of things I'd like to do to you, and killing you is at the _absolute fucking bottom_ of that list. Still on it, though."

It turned out that Rick wasn't completely numb to what was happening around him, as he pulled out from underneath Negan, causing the man to stumble away from him, and before he could antagonise him any further, Rick swung his fist through the air and delivered an earth shattering blow to Negan's jaw.

Everyone around them sprang into action, with two men piling on top of Rick before he could say or do anything else. Negan regained himself, smiling from ear to ear as he straightened up, "Now that's the fire I wanna' see! Come on! I get it! Your wife left you with a one eyed boy and a weird baby that doesn't talk- Just let it all out!"

Negan handed his bat to a woman nearby and gleefully approached Rick, throwing an equally powerful blow in his stomach, "You see? It feels so good when you just let that anger out when it hits!"

He punched him a second time, an uppercut to the ribs, causing Rick to almost double over in pain.

"I'm being nice right now, Rick, you know that right?", Negan punched him again, "Because I don't need these guys to hold you- I could break you like goddamn twig!"

Michonne placed herself in front of Carl and Judith, hoping they wouldn't have to see as a flurry of punches rained down on their father. It pained her so much to see that she couldn't stand to see herself.

"This was good day", Negan sighed delightedly as the two men dropped Rick to the ground, "You got me a whole truck's worth of food, you introduced me to your hot new secretary, and you got to keep your wife. Well… whatever's left of her. Good luck with that search party."

Rick lay face down on the floor, curling up his legs as he tried to stand. Michonne waited until Negan moved to go over to him.

"Alright, see you next week folks!", Negan waved, signalling for his people to follow him out of the gates, "Really good day!"

"Just wait, don't move", Michonne instructed, holding onto Rick's bicep, "Just hold on"

He spat blood onto the gravel as he pushed himself up, "I'm… I'm fine"

"You're not", Michonne continued to hold on to him as she looked up at the watch tower, "Mickey!"

The teen hurried down to join her while Carl stood nearby, still watching the others leave while holding his sister. There was no point in Michonne scolding Rick for punching Negan. Even after having the air forcibly removed from his lungs, Rick wouldn't regret it. For some reason he felt the need to defend her honour, and that wasn't anything new to either of them.

Mickey helped her lead him to the infirmary, each holding an arm over their shoulder, even though it caused Rick to wince. The first thing he asked when he was laid on a stretcher was, "Lori?"

"Attic.", Michonne replied, standing back as Rosita began to look him over, "She's still up there"

Rick slowly nodded as he took deep, jagged breaths. Rosita opened up his shirt and exhaled deeply, "This is tough… I don't know if he has a broken rib or anything… He just has to lay here- we can't move him."

"Good", Michonne breathed, "You hear that, old man? You can't move"

Rick smirked, but quickly grabbed his side in pain, "Ahh, shit"

"How about we don't make him laugh either", Rosita gave Michonne a pointed look as she backed away from the stretcher, "I'll give you something for the pain"

"...You probably shouldn't talk then", Mikey whispered from behind, causing Michonne to smile.

She looked to Carl across the room, "We should probably go get your mom"

The teen still wore a faint look of revulsion as he looked at her, "You can get her if you want"

Michonne's eyes widened, astounded that he seemed to be repulsed by everyone around him, bar Judith. She exhaled as she walked around the stretcher and towards the door, "Come on, let's go"

His attitude truly did hurt her. It wasn't though she wasn't familiar with a defiant Carl as she had seen it before, but it was never so evident in all her said and did, and it was only made worse by the fact that he was sporting a black eye patch. As soon as they were out of the infirmary and onto the street she questioned him about it, "What happened there?"

Carl moved Judith from one hip to the other, "What does it look like?"

Michonne stared at him, "It looks to me like you want to have another eye patch?"

For the first time since she'd seen him Carl cracked a small smile, even if it did only last for a few seconds, "...Some kid shot me."

Michonne's mouth fell agape, "What?"

"He was aiming for dad, got me instead", Carl shrugged as if it were nothing as he looked up the street, "Then he got eaten by walkers."

The story left Michonne with more questions than answers, and she realised she may get a more detailed response from his father so she decided to leave it alone for the time being, "When was this?"

"I don't know… a while after you left, I guess.", He spoke of her departure so sourly that she wondered if it mattered that she'd returned.

She folded her arms as she looked at him, "Why didn't your mom want you around Negan?"

Carl grunted, "Because she's scared I might do what dad can't"

"And what might that be?"

"Kill him."

Michonne eyed him suspiciously, "Why would that scare her?"

Carl rearranged his hold on Judith as they reached the porch steps, "I nearly did it before. Followed them when they left here… Killed a few of them and nearly got him, too…"

Michonne stared at the teen incredulously, "What was that, some kind of lone suicide mission?"

"It was me trying to do something", Carl argued, "I'm not sure if you know this but nobody is doing anything. He killed Glenn, Abraham, Denise, Olivia, Spencer and he just goes around taking what he wants from all of us. Everyone's too scared to do anything about it- today was the first time my dad did anything"

"Yeah, and look where that got him", Michonne countered calmly, "You're smart enough to know that your dad isn't doing anything because he doesn't want to get anyone else killed. He cares about everyone too much-"

"He's scared."

"Yeah, he's scared of losing people and that's not something to be ashamed of", She pointed out firmly, "You can't always react first then think later when you're up against someone who can really do some damage. You have to think about the people that are willing to follow you and your fathers doing that. You want a leader like that. You don't want a leader like some of the other people we've come across- leaders that don't give a damn about you or anyone else, ones that just see you as pawns"

Carl sighed as he looked toward his home, "Yeah. Whatever."

"No. Not whatever. It's the truth and you know it, you're just mad that things aren't going the way you want them to", She snapped, growing tired of his attitude, "Running into battle by yourself to spite everyone else doesn't solve any problems"

"And running away doesn't solve any problems either", He snapped back effortlessly, looking at her with disinterest from her good eye.

Michonne nearly growled at him, "Do you think I owe you an apology for leaving?"

He scoffed at her, "I think you owe me an explanation? You just left without warning and then you come back with some kid like nothing happened"

"He's around your age", She pointed out dryly.

His eye only widened in anger, "So then why couldn't you take me with you? If you just wanted a break or something then I could have left too, but you didn't even give me that option- you just left in the middle of the night- We looked for you! All of us did! Daryl only stopped because stuff kept happening here!"

Michonne's shoulders slumped. She didn't think her disappearance would cause that much disruption, "I couldn't have taken you even if I wanted to. You have parents, they'd kill me"

"My mom probably wouldn't like it but dad would trust you because it's you"

"Your dad still wouldn't have let you come with me. He would have wanted both of us here, Carl", She sighed as she ran a hand over Judith's hair, noticing the girl looked completely uninterested in all that was going on around her, "Look, I'm sorry. I should have said something to you at the very least, and I used to wish that I had"

The teen finally didn't look so hardened, his shoulders relaxing to some degree, "...I just wanted to know what was wrong? You could have told me- we tell each other everything, remember? That was our number one rule"

"I know, I screwed up", She placed a hand on his shoulder, "But I'm here and you can't get rid of me"

Carl slowly nodded as he dropped his gaze to the ground beneath them, "...Was it about them?"

Michonne involuntarily tensed, "...It was."

"...Have you told dad?"

"No. I'm not ready to.", She answered honestly, knowing that whatever she told Carl was in safe keeping.

"He used to think you guys were like... best friends or something"

Michonne snorted, "He still does. He's so weird."

She could have jumped for joy when she saw the wide smile spread across the teen's face, confirming to her that she could still make the teen laugh, even if it took a little work. After remembering that the whole reason they returned back to his home was to free his mother, the trio finally went back inside and Michonne set about opening the attic door once again. Lori appeared relieved, hurrying down the ladder steps and taking Judith in her arms as soon as she could, "God, what happened?"

Michonne tried to keep her tone even, as she didn't want to alarm the woman, "Negan wanted Rick to bring you to him. We told him you left, and he believed it"

Lori lip curled in disgust as she cradled Judith's head against her, "And they're gone?"

"Yeah… But there was a little accident", It dawned on Michonne that she was about to be blamed for earlier events, "Rick's in the infirmary"

Lori's eyes nearly bulged out of her head, "What? Why?"

"He punched Negan", Carl divulged with a small, smug smirk, "Hard."

His mother looked as if she would need to visit the infirmary, "Why? What happened? Is he okay?!"

"Let's just head over there", Michonne suggested, begging to push the ladder away, "Rosita was about to give him something for the pain..."

Even after spending so much time around Lori in the past, Michonne still couldn't swallow how frantic she could get. She had given up trying to calm her down as it wasn't her job to, so she left that up to Rick or anyone else who was willing to volunteer. They left the Grimes household in silence and returned to the infirmary, where Rick appeared to be lying a little more comfortably in the stretcher while Rosita looked over his chest and Mickey sat in the corner of the room on a stool.

"You did good out there", Michonne announced quietly as she stood beside Mickey, "I think you're the reason he believed us"

The teen shrugged nonchalantly, "I just did what I thought was right...Why did he want her?"

"Because he's sick", She replied easily, looking over at Rick and his family. Lori still held Judith as she shot questions at Rick and Rosita, even though neither replied with any haste.

"...This is getting a little awkward for me", Mickey admitted in a very subtle whisper, "Can we…"

"Yeah.", Michonne hadn't noticed that the teen was effectively stood around a bunch of strangers, and possibly feeling out of place, so she slapped a hand on his back to spur him to move, "Alright, come on"

They snuck out of the infirmary with the intention of heading back home to see if they had suffered any damage to their new home, when Michonne heard her name being called from the building they just left. She blew out a deep breath, knowing it was Lori before she even turned around. She knew she'd have something to say about Rick's bold move but she naively thought that she could escape unscathed.

"Can I just stop you for a moment?", Lori asked, no longer holding her toddler daughter on her side. Her face was flushed, her eyes hard and focused.

Michonne nodded, already folding her arms over her chest, "Go on."

"I just need you to explain to me how this happened because- because this isn't the first time they've came here and all of a sudden… He's possibly broken a rib?", Lori threw one of her hands up in despair, "What happened today that didn't happen before?"

Michonne narrowed her eyes at Lori, "He punched him."

"I know that he punched him, but why?", Lori quizzed, pulling the light cardigan she wore around her body, "Rick- Rick agreed that we'd do nothing to rile him up, that we'd just do as we were told and now look-"

"Lori, Rick is the only person that can tell you why he does what he does", Michonne administered with a little more edge than she planned, "We are not going to go back to doing this"

The brunette appeared taken back for a second, but soon retorted, "I would like to think that you can see that I'm trying not to go back to how things were before. I told you, we had all agreed on how we wouldn't handle this and I would think that since you're staying then you agree. You're part of this community, too"

Michonne found herself pinching her nose bridge as she bowed her head, uttering tiredly, "...I will not apologise for what Rick does. You won't hold me responsible for what Rick does-"

"I do not hold you responsible for what my husband does and I do not expect you to apologise for what he does!", Lori hissed, "I just want you take some responsibility for the role that you play in all this!"

"The role I play in all this?", Michonne squinted at the woman as she dropped her hands by her side, "Oh yeah, I forgot that because you having your husband back is more important than anything else. More important than everyone one else having to struggle to get by- more important than everyone else living in fear¬"

"I'm not talking about any of that! I'm talking about the fact that my husband will do anything for you because he's in love with you, Goddamit!", As soon as the words slipped from Lori's mouth she stepped back, as if she could physically stop in their tracks.

Michonne blinked at Lori, her brown eyes darting over every inch of the woman's face.

"No… I'm not going to run from this anymore", Lori continued defiantly, "I know. He knows. The only person that didn't, was you. You might be wondering how or why but… Unlike me, Rick is a good man. I know that despite what he feels, he… He'd never act on that and I know that's true because I can see it in your eyes- you didn't know, but now you do."

Michonne dropped her gaze to the concrete slab of the pavement, "...Why are you telling me this..."

"...Because", Lori blew out a breath, causing a few strands of her hair to shoot out of her face. She smoothed them back as she tried to compose herself, "I thought it was just a crush and I understood why; you were both so similar... and you were nothing like me. And I had felt so guilty for the things that I'd done that I said nothing while he looked at you like he used to look at me once upon a time… I thought it would wear out, and I was sure that it did for a while but maybe I was just too busy with Judith to see it was just evolving into something bigger… into something that I don't think he and I had, and I know it. He feels closer to you than he does me¬"

"Why are you telling me this, Lori?", Michonne felt her voice strain as she tried to keep their argument contained between the two of them, "What _good_ will this do?"

The brunette rolled her eyes shut as she placed a hand on her forehead, taking a moment to finally reply, "...I guess I'm just tired of having to watch my husband love someone else. You've been back here for a day and he's already putting himself in harm's way… And if you don't think that that's because of you then well… I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. If you want to fight back then he will-"

"He doesn't. He's made up his mind so you have nothing to worry about there", Michonne waved her hand dismissively at the idea.

"Like he made up his mind about coming here?", Lori spoke in a mocking tone as she looked around the empty streets, "He punched Aaron- he took his supplies- he _swore_ blind that he was done taking risks and then look what happened! You get him alone for a minute and all of a sudden we're on the road to Alexandria. It was almost comical how quickly he changed his tune- and that was because of you"

Michonne shook her head as she looked behind Lori, "Because I wasn't afraid to say what everyone else was thinking."

"I think that's part of the appeal. He can't force you to do anything, you'll always fight for everyone else… And if he is what stands between you and your happiness then he'll move out the way without a second thought.", Lori looked noticeably more relaxed than she had done previously. She was finally able to share the weight of a relatively large secret, of course she'd feel some relief, "I've never worried that he'd leave me for you. We both know that he won't, and I won't give up on my family-"

"Good, then don't", Michonne took one last look at the other woman before turning around and continuing on her way. There was nothing left for her to say.

She never questioned the foundations of her friendship with Rick. She didn't have to, she was hugely certain that it was built on shared experience and mutual understanding; they would do anything to protect their group and each other. She loved him, and she knew her world would fall apart if anything were to happen to him. She had a taste of that kind of devastation before with Mickey's father and had yet to fully recover.

The truth was, she could see it. She could see where his interests in her could have manifested into something greater but like Lori, she thought Rick was too good of a man to say or do anything to let her know and she was right. He had never said or done anything that hinted that he cared about her as more than just a friend. Strangely, it made her respect him even more, as if she could have any more respect him than she already did.

The confession from his wife only made her heart ache, so much so that when she and Mickey finally returned to the townhouse she began clearing up without another word. She knew he wanted to know what was on her mind but she couldn't tell him. He was still just a boy after all and too young to understand the tangled web the adults had weaved. They spent the remainder of the afternoon locked away from everyone else, and it was only when Michonne only left the teen when she knew he would be busy getting acquainted with the numerous books the Safe-zone had to offer. In spite of everything else that had unfolded that day, she wanted to check on Rick. She had to. She didn't want to see him hurt any more than anyone else did.

Rosita still hung around the infirmary, sitting out front on a rocking chair. Michonne didn't know what to think of the woman's attitude; she'd always had one, but she'd noticed it was a little more prominent than she remembered. She didn't doubt that it was because of Negan and the Saviors but she didn't see anyone else directing that anger at everyone. It spiked her interest, but they weren't friendly enough for her to ask so she didn't.

"You're awake.", Michonne leaned on the door frame of the adjacent room to where Rick had previously been, "Why?"

He looked at her from an angle, his head lying on the world's thinnest pillow, "...Can't sleep."

She sat a hand on her hip, "...You felt like that was necessary?"

He knew she was talking about his outburst, "...It was."

She didn't expect him to think any differently, but still had to ask.

"I need to thank that little friend of yours…", He continued, looking up at the ceiling, "He was good out there… quick thinker."

"Yeah… He's good like that.", She agreed, pushing off the door frame when she noticed a chair nearby.

"...Think there might be a problem with him and Carl?"

"Yep", She replied easily, dragging the chair closer to his bed, "There will be."

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, "Fighting for your attention…"

Michonne sat down with a huff, her legs spread aggressively as she folded her arms, "It took you a while to catch on. Did you really think I'd hand over Lori to Negan?"

He released a little groan, "I don't know what I was thinking, I just knew that I didn't want that to happen but… I really should be thanking you more than anythan'. You haven't even been back that long and you're back to saving my family again… I guess that's another thang I never said enough but thanks… for everythan'. You've always been there for me and… I don't think I've ever said thanks "

She snorted at his sentiment, "I figured that keeping me alive was our way of saying that. Following you into the gates of hell themselves was my way of saying it to you."

He smirked at her, "Maybe that's how it really did work…"

She continued to stare at the side of his face as she prepared to breathe life into her most recent thoughts,"...I've been thinking about something…"

He turned his head to look at her, "Yeah? What?"

"...Moving to the Hilltop… Joining Maggie and Sasha…"

He stared at her for a short while before looking back at the ceiling. Whatever he felt towards that notion, he hid well, "I'm not surprised to hear that."

"...I want to help them. I think they need it.", She admitted solemnly, "I know how you feel about it, and I respect that… I can see why you¬"

"But you disagree, and you want to do somethan' about it. I know,", His chest rose as he took a deep breath, causing him to grimace as he exhaled, "...I didn't expect you to fall in line because you never really have, and I don't think I'd ever be able to keep you in one place either"

"No.", She shook her head, "No one can… But I always come back. You know that."

He looked at her again, his eyes examining her closely, "...Did you ever think about coming back when you were out there?"

Michonne gave him a little shrug, "Sometimes. It would cross my mind…"

"...Was there someone keeping you out there?", He probed, keeping his tone light so he didn't scare her off, "Besides the boy?"

"You could say that", She answered honestly.

He dropped his gaze to her arm, "...His father?"

"Great detective work."

"You never really lose it", He wore a crooked smile as he looked back at her, "What happened?"

"He died", She softened her tone, "Just like everyone else."

Rick gave her one of his pitying looks that she hated, and he must had remembered that she did because he quickly hardened, "I think he'd be glad to see that you're looking after his son."

"I'd like to think so, too.", She watched him just as carefully as he watched her, "...Carl? What happened there?"

He snapped his eyes shut and rubbed both hands over his face, "...Where do I start?"

"Maybe with his eye?"

"...That…", Rick frowned as he thought about it, "That was tough… It was an accident but- I don't know if you remember the Andersons?"

"I don't. Go on."

"Well Pete, he was the doctor… He was hitting his wife and their two boys… Everyone knew but, he was the doctor so… they turned a blind eye, they didn't wanna' lose him… I got into it with him and ended up killing him. His wife and their youngest got attacked when we had walkers in this place and his oldest son just hated me for it all... and so he tried to shoot me but missed, got Carl instead…"

Michonne could sense that there was some form of regret that he carried in his tale, and he proved her right.

"He was just a kid, and he was mad… confused…But I was just so- so upset about Carl that I left him out there to die", Rick began to shake his head but stopped, "I think I could have handled that whole thang a little better"

Michonne scoffed, "...I would have killed him if he hurt Carl. Even if he just clipped his ear."

Rick did everything to fight back a smile, but failed, "You always had a way of making me feel a little less of a monster"

"You shouldn't feel like a monster. Your son was hurt, you reacted. It's what good parents do, they protect their children…", She stopped herself when the words began to get a little more difficult to form. She snapped her mouth shut, deciding it wouldn't be best for her to elaborate any further.

Rick's face grew serious. He lifted his head of the pillow and tried to sit up but struggled, "Michonne?"

"Lay down. Now.", She demanded, sitting up straight, "Just… You did what you needed to protect you both. Don't ever feel like a monster for that."

He wouldn't forget what he saw and she knew it, but he did nod in agreement as he lay back down, "You're right"

"I know. So, since you're up, you might as well tell me everything I need to know about the others", She crossed one leg over the other as she moved onto more important topics, "I need to know."

Rick sighed deeply, "Well, let's start with the Kingdom…".


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

"Rick- Would you just look at yourself! You can _barely_ stand up- Send someone else to go!"

Pain radiated throughout Rick's chest as he pulled on the clean t-shirt that his wife had brought for him, but it was not enough to stop him from getting up and he didn't need to look at Lori to see she was angry with him. He had to let her know that her protests were falling on deaf ears, "We don't have enough food. You know that."

Lori adjusted her hold on Judith, who was too busy sucking on her pacifier to care about her parents arguing, "I _do_ know that Rick and I agree that someone should go, but not you"

Rick slowly inhaled, his breathing jagged, "We'll be back later."

His wife furiously scraped her fingers through her bangs, "I can't believe you."

He looked at her, noticing that she was riled up, "Look, I can't just sit back and watch everybody else scramble to do somethan'. I can't have that- I have to help"

She looked at him with disbelief, her eyes narrowing at him, "Is that what you think I'm doing? Sitting back and watching everyone else do something?"

Rick could have groaned out of frustration, but he didn't. Instead, he leaned over and placed a kiss on Judith's head, which earned him a sweet little squeal. He faced Lori, hoping he could muster something of substance to tell her but he simply couldn't, "I'll make sure that we're back tonight."

"You're going with her?", His wife was asking a question that she already knew the answer to, and once again Rick found himself feeling annoyed.

It was safe to say that he and his wife had returned to their opposing sides and it brought him a different kind of stress. He wasn't a fool; he knew that the tension between them stemmed from Michonne's return, and her behavior had grated on him since. Not only had she failed to tell him that Michonne was back, but he was sure that his wife was part of the reason she wanted to leave for the Hilltop. He saw the way Lori raced out of the infirmary after she scolded him about his injuries and he had a feeling that she found Michonne and possibly said something he wouldn't have agreed with, but he wasn't sure what, "Did you thank her for what she did yesterday? Or Mickey?"

Lori's chest sank out of shame as she removed her gaze from him, "...No. I didn't get a chance to."

"Then what did you say?", He pried, tilting his head to catch her gaze, "Well?"

His wife sniffed as she moved Judith from one side to the other, "...I wanted to know what happened. Why you were injured."

He could believe that, but he couldn't believe that was all. He continued to stare at her, " _Yeah_?"

She huffed, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face as she avoided looking at him, "I reminded her that she was part of this community too, so if we've all agreed that we'd do what he says then she has to do the same"

Rick squinted at his wife, "What did she do?"

She was riled up again by his question, "You have to ask?"

It took him a moment to figure out what she was insinuating, and when he did he clenched his fist at his sides and spoke in a dangerously low tone, "You need to stop this now, Lori"

Lori hissed back at him, "I need to stop this? Me?"

"Yes, you.", He retorted, "You need to forget about whatever it is that you think is happening and move on. In case you haven't noticed- we've got bigger thangs to worry about and no one has time to sit around, focusing on thangs that don't matter"

Lori's eyes glistened and she shook her head bitterly at him, "Our marriage? That doesn't matter?"

Rick drew back, feeling a slight pain in his chest. Regardless of the difficulty, he faced with his wife he didn't want to hurt her on purpose, but now was not the time for them to discuss their marriage. He started for one of the cabinets, "Like I said, we'll try to get back before dark"

He put the discussion with his wife to the back of his mind and kept his attention on the task they faced that day; getting help from the Kingdom. They were running low on food, and he couldn't bear the thought of laying in the infirmary all day so he made sure to take whatever pain relief he could with him and gathered a small group together.

Tara and Heath were easy to enlist, and unsurprisingly Michonne presented him with the same argument that his wife had done earlier and it took some convincing before she agreed to come along, with Mickey of course. The five of them set out in the SUV before midday, with Tara behind the wheel. Rick sat in the passenger seat, leaving Heath, Mickey, and Michonne in the back.

It was a mostly quiet ride, almost uncomfortably quiet until Rick heard a faint giggle. It could have only been Michonne as she was sat behind him, so he turned his head towards his window, signaling that she'd caught his attention.

"Face forward, old man", She instructed with a seemingly serious tone, but he could detect some amusement.

"...Why do you call him 'old man'?", Rick heard Mickey ask quietly, but evidently not quite enough, "He doesn't look that much older than you?"

"Just as a reminder", She replied evenly, "And he's actually twenty years older than me"

An ugly snort of laughter came from Rick, and he had to fight to compose himself, even though he was sure he heard Tara chuckle as well. He turned his head to ask her, "Are you sure about that, Michonne?"

"Very", She said easily.

"So you're like… forty-seven, or something?", Mickey probed while looking at the back of Rick's head.

Rick's eye's nearly bulged out of his head, "No, I'm not even _close_ to that yet- But hold on, how old did she tell you she was?"

"Alright, let's just leave this topic alone now", Michonne ejected dryly, causing Rick to chortle under his breath. Her ability to make him laugh was unlike any other and he welcomed it, because there weren't many things left to laugh about since the outbreak. The more he thought about it the more he realized that he hadn't even had a reason to crack a smile in her absence, other than when he was in his daughter's company but he was predisposed to do so whenever he saw the little girl.

She and Mickey continued their conversation in hushed tones for the remainder of the journey while the others stared out of the windows aimlessly. Rick popped two more pills when he felt the first dose begin to wear off, but luckily for him, they were heading to a community with people a little more medically trained than Rosita. While the girl knew more than most she still wasn't a doctor or a nurse, and there was only so much she could do.

They arrived at the old school building where the Kingdom was based, and they were easily allowed in once Rick showed his face. The residents were sprinkled everywhere, going about their day and unaware of just what was happening beyond the walls. Rick was almost jealous of them. Ezekiel had managed to keep their plight with the Saviors a secret from his people and it seemed to be the best thing he'd done for them, though Rick wasn't sure how long it could last.

"We may have to wait out here for a while...", Rick explained to the others as they came away from the vehicle, "...There's some kind of formal greeting they like to do"

"This place is strange…", Michonne muttered from beside him.

"Is that a tiger?!", Tara pointed towards the main building, where Ezekiel was descending the steps, followed by his closest men and his pet Tiger.

"Greetings!", The grey-haired man boomed as he came in their direction, raising his cane in the air as he smiled, "It is our friends from the great Alexandria! And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me", Michonne breathed, squinting as she looked in Rick's direction.

Ezekiel stopped in front of them, tilting his head as he looked at Michonne, "And what, pray tell, is bothering you, fair maiden?"

Rick's mouth fell agape when he saw Ezekiel reach for her hand. He was tempted to warn the leader about what could happen when someone touched Michonne without her permission, but she fiercely let him know by snatching her hand away in disgust, "Don't touch me!"

"What is the meaning of this?", Ezekiel sprung back in surprise, "How dare you disrespect me within the walls of my Kingdom! This is an outrage!"

Michonne pulled her katana from its sheath, "Disrespect is about to be the last thing you worry about¬"

"Michonne", Rick called a little firmly, though he kept his hand on his hatchet when he noticed Ezekiel's men raise their weapons.

"Shiva- No!", Ezekiel barked when his tiger roared protectively beside her owner. He held on tight to the chain that held her as he raised his cane to signal for everyone to stop, "Please, forgive me for my theatrics. I do hope you understand, I want our two peoples to be allies, united against a common enemy. It's essential for us to work together. Please, put away your weapon and let us just forget this ever happened"

"Put away your weapon, and I'll put away mine", Michonne responded coolly.

"You mean Shiva? Shiva, my dear, is my pet…", Ezekiel tucked his cane under his arm and pulled the handle free, revealing a slim sword, "This is my weapon"

Michonne snarled at him, "This isn't¬"

"It's okay! Calm yourself", Ezekiel quickly put his sword away, "I simply wanted to see if mine was bigger, and it was not"

Michonne lowered her Katana with a look of displeasure on her face, and Rick couldn't help but do the same when he realized that Ezekiel appeared to be flirting with her.

"Come, make yourselves at home", The eccentric leader offered, "You have had a long journey. Let us put this nonsense behind us and feast!"

His men stood aside to allow them in the building, and Michonne was the first to stomp past them all, closely followed by Mickey, Tara, and Heath. Rick walked beside Ezekiel, "I'm sorry about that¬"

"Oh, please, you need not apologize", Ezekiel slapped a hand on Rick's shoulder, "The lady is most wondrous… such fire in those eyes"

Rick shot him a brief glance from the corner of his eye, "Yeah… Just don't touch her."

The people of the Kingdom laid out plenty of food in the dining hall and they all came to enjoy their meal, and it was while seated next to the man that Rick quiet disclosed the reason for their visit, and Ezekiel seemed pleased to help, though he went on to say, "It saddens me to learn that Alexandria is on its knees at the hands of our enemy. It makes me wonder if we should allow this… this 'deal' to continue…"

Rick watched him closely, surprised to hear what the other man was thinking, "Yeah?"

"Indeed. So much that we…", Ezekiel leaned in closer, "Made our last 'trade' a special one. Their pigs were fed rotten meat from the things that live amongst us…"

Rick realized what he meant, and slowly nodded, "Right."

"It was subtle, but I think it is a step in the right direction, my friend."

Rick wasn't aware that the leader was considering fighting back, and while it made him uncomfortable for the people of the Kingdom, it did lead him to question if Michonne was right and if she really could enlist people to go against Negan, but it still seemed unlikely because even if all three communities came together, how many would want to take part was still unknown, and as far as he was concerned he had far greater to lose than the Saviors.

When he had finished his meal he left the hall to move the vehicle closer to the building so residents can pack their offering into the car with ease, but as soon as he stepped outside he was greeted by a very annoyed looking Michonne. Rick frowned at her as he looked back towards the school, "Did you run here? You were sitting down when I left?"

Her arms were folded across her chest and her back straight, her expression stoic.

"Don't look at me like that, Michonne", He warned as he stepped around her to get to the SUV, "I told you"

"You failed to mention that none of these people even know what's going on and that we'd have to play along with this stupid charade", She pointed out sternly as she turned around to face him, "And you failed to mention that he was the biggest weirdo ever"

Rick fought back a smile as he opened the door. He paused to look at her, "I told him not to touch you again"

She glared at him.

"Look, can you see why I don't think we can do this now?", He closed the door so he could speak to her properly, "I'm not… I'm not allowing Negan and his people to make our lives hell because I want it to happen. I don't want all of us to live in fear and I don't want to see all of us struggle to get by on tiny rations- This isn't what I've come this far for- and If I had the chance to kill that son of a bitch safely, then I would. But I don't."

"We've never been able to kill anyone safely, Rick", She pointed out, "We've always known at the back of our minds that we can't guarantee anyone's safety and that hasn't stopped us before"

"Well it's stopped me now", He spoke in a final tone, "It's stopped me now"

Michonne sighed as she shook her head, looking away from him. Rick could see she was trying not to fight with him because she had already made up her mind and would go through with her plan, with or without his agreement, but she wasn't going to give up on him either.

He scratched his beard as he looked down at her boots, "You're not twenty-seven."

He peaked up at her and saw her eyes lit up, but her lips remained pressed together as she tried not to laugh.

"You can't be younger than you were when we first met. It doesn't work that way Michonne", He shook his head at the notion, "Stop lying to the boy"

She bowed her head as she smiled, and for the briefest of moments he felt as if everything was right with the world again, "I can pass for twenty-seven"

"I'm not arguing with that", He smirked, backing up to the car door so that he could open it again, "I just wish you'd stop subtracting years from your age and adding them to _mine_ "

She laughed as she looked up at him, "It's what friends do."

"Yeah, yeah", He rolled his eyes at her, "Come on, I need to move this to the back"

She finally dropped her arms to her side as she walked around the front of the car, "...No one would believe that you're forty-seven, anyway"

"Because I'm not.", Rick secretly chastised himself for continuing to fall back into an old routine with her, knowing she planned to leave again. He wished that she wouldn't, and he couldn't think of a time where he needed her more, but he had never been able to say or do anything to keep her with the group. When she felt the need to go off on her own then she would do just that, but unlike their time before Alexandria, he couldn't send Daryl with her. He started the car once she was seated, "When do you plan on leaving?"

She exhaled as she looked at him, "...Maybe in a day or two?"

"...You plan on spending some time with Carl first?", He queries, figuring that was the reason that she hadn't left already.

She nodded, "Yeah. I owe him."

"I hope he wasn't too hard on you…"

She scoffed at his statement, "The last thing he did was hold back"

Rick had no problem believing that as his son had no problem letting anyone know how he felt, "Did he tell you about when he snuck out?"

"He did", She blew out a breath, "I let him know that I wasn't a fan of that stuff"

He groaned as he recalled the moment Negan presented his son to him, "I wanted to lock him in his room and throw away the key"

She snickered at him, "He's not that much different to you, just not as refined or structured"

"You think?", Rick raised an eyebrow as he snuck a peek at her, "Sometimes I think he's the complete opposite"

"Trust me, that's not the case.", She deadpanned.

He tilted his head slightly as he considered it, "I guess I have to take your word for it. You probably know him better than I do at the point"

He felt her gaze on him as she spoke, "You both have to remember that even though he's capable of a lot and you can trust him with certain things, he's still a teenager. You've given him a lot of responsibility in the past and that's confused him because he looks in the mirror and sees a grown man, but he's not. He's still a boy, and you're his father and you're the leader, so he has to respect that, and you have to respect the fact that he will act like a teenager every now and then"

Rick groaned again as he brought the car to a stop, "For the hundredth time, you're right. I know you're right"

"I'm always right", She stressed as she threw her hands up out of exasperation, "You should know that by now"

He sniggered at her, "Alright alright, let's stop there before your head gets any bigger. I appreciate the parenting advice, and hope I'll be able to return the favor one day"

There was a shift in the atmosphere as soon as the words hit the air. He noticed it, her smile no longer radiating happiness but something filled with pain, and all of sudden everything clicked into place and he felt a fool for not registering sooner.

He sat back feeling astonished, breathing her name, "Michonne?"

She reached for the door handle, "Come on, we're done her¬"

"Michonne, wait", He grabbed hold of her wrist to stop her, causing her to freeze, "Stop, it's time to stop pushing people away- pushing me away, okay?"

She kept her face turned away from him, "...I don't want to do this right now, I'm sorry"

Rick had to let go of her, "But you can. When you're ready to- You can"

She looked in his direction, but not directly at him, "I know. I've always known that"

It was his turn to sigh. He hated that she felt that she couldn't disclose anything she wanted to him, but she had a choice and he respected that. Due to their current circumstances, they had to exit the vehicle and continue with their task as if nothing happened, but his mind was plagued with questions that he did want to answer.

It never even crossed his mind that she could have had a child before the outbreak. Even after witnessing her with Carl, she could be quite motherly towards him but she mostly acted as a protective big sister. He could say the same about Mickey, from what he had seen. It dawned on him the Carl must have known, and he wondered if Mickey or his father had known too. The more he thought about what he knew of her personal life, the more he tried to understand the part of her that he didn't know; the kind of mother she was, if she had more than one child, and what her ex must have been like. She had only been involved with one man that Rick knew of, and even that relationship was shrouded in secrecy.

He busied himself with helping the Kingdom residents pack their trade in the trunk, hoping Michonne would realize that he was someone that she could share her burdens with. Ezekiel continued to entertain everyone without a care in the world, and knowing what Rick knew, he would admit that he could respect how the other leader was trying to handle things, even though he thought it was risky business.

"...Sorry, those were mine", Mickey popped up beside Rick when he was looking in the backseat of the SUV, dumbfounded by the number of candy wrappers on the floor, "I'll clean them up"

Rick stepped aside to allow the teen in, "...Did you raid a vending machine or somethan'?"

"That's _exactly_ what happened", Mickey smirked nervously as he crawled into the vehicle, "They're usually empty these days but we got lucky… Well, I got lucky"

Rick rested an arm on the door of the car while he waited for him to tidy up, ignoring the pain that intensified in his chest, "...How long were you at sea for?"

"Uh… I'm not sure but it was a really, really long time"

"Yeah? How'd you get the boat?"

Mickey's response was a little delayed, "It was my dads. We had it in our family for a while."

Rick could detect a little weight behind his words; as if speaking about his father still made him uneasy. He geared away from the topic, "You miss it?"

Mickey sat back in the seat and looked up at him, "...Kind of. It was great because we didn't see any roamers out there… and you forget about what's going on here"

"I get it.", Rick slowly inhaled, "Well listen, I just wanna' say thank you for what you did yesterday. It helped a lot."

Mickey shrugged innocently, "It was nothing."

Rick shook his head at the teen's reply, "No, it was somethan'... somethan' pretty brave actually"

Mickey released a weak chuckle, "I was crapping my pants the whole time."

Rick produced a crooked smile as he gave Mickey space to exit, "Well, you hid that well."

"...You were a cop, right?", He asked with hands filled with foiled paper.

"...I was", Rick gave him a single nod for confirmation, "Sheriff's deputy."

"Cool.", Mickey climbed out the car, "...My dad was, too. NYPD."

"Yeah? He did the for a while?"

"As long as I can remember"

Rick couldn't recall the last time he had a conversation with a teenager that didn't feel like a battle. Mickey seemed nice enough and was a lot more pleasant towards him than his own son, and he could see why Michonne expected some difficulty between the two teenage boys.

Once everything was packed up, Rick made a discreet trip to the infirmary to get himself checked out by the community nurse. It was an uncomfortable exam as the older woman was rough and firmly advised him to rest when they returned to Alexandria. He took the strong pain medication she gave him, then went back to the hall to endure Ezekiel's theatrics for a short while longer before his group was free to go.

Heath drove and Rick sat beside him, while the other rode in the back. It was quieter on the way back and he only heard the occasional whisper. He was glad, as the medication kicked in rather quickly and it left him feeling a little light headed. He didn't want to speak; he was afraid that his words would slur, so he stared blankly out the windshield, wondering how he would return back to his home. He had Lori on a highly charged note and there was a chance that she'd want to speak with him when he returned. The thought of having to discuss their marriage or the effect that Lori thought Michonne had on him, made Rick want to groan out of exhaustion. It wasn't hard for Rick to understand why his wife felt the way that she did but he didn't like to think about it, let alone talk about it. The guilt he felt for his feelings towards Michonne was enough to make him feel nauseous.

They arrived back in the safe-zone just as the sun began to set. Rick could breathe a little sigh of relief knowing that residents wouldn't starve, but he knew that the food from the kingdom wouldn't last them long enough. He went with Heath to take the food to the pantry while Tara, Michonne, and Mickey returned to their homes. Michonne had volunteered to help but Rick politely declined as he felt that she needed a break from him. She was carrying something momentous on her chest and Rick decided he would wait for him to speak to him if indeed she wanted to.

"Carl! Carl- get back here, now!", He heard Lori's voice cry from inside his home before he had even opened the door, and he didn't get a chance to as it swung open when he reached for the handle. His son tried to storm past him but Rick grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Carl, just stop. I'm not finished talking to you", Lori appeared flustered as she caught up with the teen, her eyes darting to Rick for help, "I'm trying to talk to him¬"

"We talked.", Carl replied back coldly as he pulled his arm free from his father's hold. His wounded eye was uncovered but his hair covered most of the area, "I want some fresh air but she won't let me leave the house"

Rick looked his son from head to toe, " _She_ is your mother. You don't just walk off like that when someone's talking to you"

"We were done talking", His son pointed out angrily, "I said I wanted some fresh air"

Rick turned to his wife, who began to huff and puff as she ran her fingers through her bangs, "I just don't want him to go far. He can sit out on the porch or something"

Carl rolled his eyes at the suggestion, "Is Michonne's back? I want to see her."

Lori's eyes widened, while Rick tried to hide the fact that he tensed by shifting uneasily, "She is but maybe you just stick around here today"

His son looked even more disgusted at that suggestion than the previous one, "Why?"

"Because we had a long day, that's all", Rick explained, "She told me she planned to spend some time with you before she leaves so you can go over there tomoro¬"

"Before she leaves?", Carl repeated, his dark brows knitting in confusion.

Rick wanted to kick himself, but he chose to bite his lip as he turned his body to face his son, "Yeah. She's gonna' go up to the Hilltop for a while¬"

"Why? When? What for?", Carl queried, his anger evident in his stance.

"To help out Maggie and Sasha", Rick insisted, not wishing to lie to his son but he was hoping that what he said would turn out to be the truth, "Just for a little while. She's not leaving like she did before"

Carl glowered at them, his bright blue eye looking from one parent to the other as if he were deciding who hated more for his friend's departure. Rick wouldn't be surprised if he did blame he and Lori, as he had done the first time Michonne disappeared. After a moment of sending his parent's repulsive stares, he stalked back into the home without a glance back. Rick closed his eyes applied a little pressure to his nose bridge with his thumb and index finger, trying to organize his thoughts but to no avail. He knew that blurting out Michonne's impending departure would come back on him somehow.

Lori sighed as she stood in front of him, wrapping the thin cardigan that she wore around her body, "...She's leaving again?"

Rick held up a hand, signaling for his wife to end the discussion there, "Don't. Just, _don't_ "

She drew back in shock with parted lips, which she swiftly snapped shut. She then spun around and went back into the home, leaving Rick to fume over recent events alone.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. You've been living off old candy for the last three or four days- I'm actually surprised that you haven't put yourself in a sugar induced coma at this point", Michonne stood above Mickey as she scolded him, watching him squirm on the couch in pain, "Your stomach is finally _rejecting_ you as host"

Mickey began to smile through his groaning, "Is this what giving birth feels like?"

Michonne gave him a deep sigh, "Yes. It's actually a well known fact that women carry babies in their stomach. What you are feeling right now is a kin to giving birth"

Mickey groaned again as he rolled onto his side, "You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"

"Yes, you little ape!", She looked at him with disbelief, "Babies grow _in the womb_ , Mickey"

"What's a womb?", He opened one of his eyes to look at her, "Did you just make that up?"

Michonne ran one of her hands over her face, then looked up at the ceiling, "I'm going to have to find an encyclopedia or some kind of maternity book for you to read"

"Do you think they have something I can take at the infirmary?", The teen questioned as he rolled onto his other side.

"Maybe", She gave him one last pitying look, "I'll stop by and check. Are you going to be alright on your own for a little while?"

"Where are you going?", Mickey whipped his head around to look back at her from over his shoulder.

"I have to pay a visit to an old friend"

"...Can't that happen here? I'm scared that I'm gonna' die, Michonne. I'm ninety percent sure that's what's happening right now"

Michonne began to glow with amusement, "You are not going to die from eating too much old candy"

"But that's what's happening right now¬"

"That is not what is happening right now. I told you; your stomach is rejecting you because you are a terrible host, and once it realizes that it can't escape you then it will stop trying. Until then you just need to lay down, drink lots of water and leave the candy alone"

"How long will you be gone for?"

Michonne sighed a second time. She could see that he genuinely didn't want to be left alone, even if it was for only a few hours but her plan was to spend some time with Carl before they left for the Hilltop, and after being a witness to Rick's son's new attitude she felt it would be best to spend some time with him alone. Carl was angry at the world and Mickey's mere existence seemed to annoy him even before they had spoken. She weighed up the options, "I won't be long, okay? We'll come back here, so just sit tight and stop thinking about death"

"Fine."

Residents were already out their homes when Michonne finally left. Some patrolled, while others tended to the crops on the lawns. She wasn't sure if she was just projecting her own problems but she felt as though she could detect some kind of tension in the air. She witnessed too much force being used to do little things by some residents; while others moved sluggishly, making a minimal effort to do anything. It made her wonder if they felt the same as she did about their current situation with the saviours.

She picked up a little speed in her walk when she saw that Rick was stepping out of his home as she arrived. Even though she had the greatest respect for Lori as Carl and Judith's mother, she didn't want to go through her to see Carl. She didn't want to cross paths with her at all if she could help it.

"Hey", She greeted lightly as she stopped at the bottom step of the porch.

He strode over to the top step. A smile grew on his face that she usually would have ignored but knowing what she knew about him made her feel uneasy under his gaze, "Hey yourself"

She tried to behave as she normally would, "I'm here for your boy"

"Yeah? He'd like that"

"He better."

Rick glanced back towards his home, then lowered his voice, "Uh, listen… I accidentally let it slip that you were heading to the Hilltop soon"

Michonne's faint smile slipped away, "Did you now?"

"It was an accident- he wanted to come over and see you when we got back and I let him know that you planned to spend time with him before you left…", Rick cringed and bit his lip as he waited for her reaction.

She exhaled as she looked past him to see his home, "Oh great"

"I'm sorry about that", He offered sincerely, "I hope he won't be too hard on you"

She shot him a disbelieving look, "You know your son better than that."

"...Yeah", He gave her an apologetic look, "He cares about you a lot. I know he probably hasn't shown that in the best way but I think you coming back really cheered him up"

Michonne felt her chest warm, "And I care about him. He's still my little partner in crime… He's just not so little anymore."

"Tell me about it", Rick looked exhausted with the fact, "...So you have somethan' planned for the two of you?"

She scoffed, "Of course. Hours and hours of endless fun planned. I actually saw a sign for Broadway show when we were on our way here. It's probably about three hundred miles away but if we leave now then we'll probably make it just in time to see absolutely nothing¬"

Rick groaned as he backed up towards his front door, then stuck his head inside to yell, "Carl! Can you come out here please?!"

"Then I thought we'd stop by somewhere and get a burger. I'm sure we passed a burnt out Diner somewhere along this route", Michonne continued to go to great lengths with her irony, "I'll let him decide"

Rick came back to her and sighed, "Are you done?"

She sighed back at him, "My plan was to take him back to the house and annoy him for a few hours. That's all I can offer."

"He won't have a problem with that", He retorted dryly, though the corner of his mouth curled up in a lazy smile, "How's Mickey doing?"

"Fine. He finished most of his candy last night, so he's laid up on the couch convinced that he's dying."

"He told me that you guys raided a vending machine", He raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you really _still_ surviving off junk food alone?"

She feigned offense, "Not that it's any of your business but I am not surviving off junk food alone. I have a healthy balanced diet now."

He smirked, "So no more chocolate for breakfast?"

"No more chocolate for breakfast", She lied.

He stared down at her with his piercing blue eyes. She knew that he didn't fall for her act but he still agreed for argument sake, "Alright. I'm pleased to hear that."

Her sentence came to a rolling stop when she saw Carl step out the home. He looked so uninterested in the world around him that Michonne was beginning to think he'd had no interest in her too soon enough. He trudged over to them and looked her dead in the eye, "So you're leaving again?"

Michonne felt her nostrils flare as she tried to hide her exasperation, "Hey Carl, I'm fine, thank you for asking. How about you?"

Carl was unamused, "Hey. So you're leaving again?"

Michonne raised her eyebrows at Rick as if to say 'told you so', and he responded by clearing his throat, "Uh, can you let your mother know that you're heading out, please?"

Carl looked as though he wanted to roll his eye as he turned back around and walked to the door. Michonne hated his new attitude and planned to question about it when she got the chance until then she faced his father again as she asked, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Not far", He squinted as he looked down the street, "Gonna' see what else we can do to secure this place"

Michonne followed his line of sight, "You could probably start by getting some guns"

Rick sighed, "...Maybe"

Her dreads swung through the air as she whipped her head back up to look at him, "Maybe? You think guns are a 'maybe'? Guns are a _must_ , Rick. You can't protect this place without weapons"

He let his gaze fall as he scratched his peppered beard. It looked as though he had something to say in response but Carl came stomping out of the house again. Michonne didn't want to continue the conversation with his father in front of him so she gave Rick a knowing look before she walked away with the teen.

"So why are you leaving again?", Was the first question out of Carl's mouth, "I don't get it"

"Because… I want to help Maggie and Sasha", Michonne answered simply, "They don't want to abide by Negan's rules so they're going to need a lot of help fighting back"

Carl began to sneer, "So everyone else wants to fight back except my mom and dad"

"Your mom and dad have a good reason to be doubtful, Carl. You know that it's not easy to go up against other people because a lot of people can get hurt¬"

"People have already gotten hurt and people have already died", He replied coldly as he frowned at the ground, "But we haven't let that stop us before. We kept going because we had to."

Michonne couldn't agree more with him, but she didn't want him going against his parents, "That's true, but if you disagree with what they say then you talk to them properly about it. Don't be a brat."

"I'm not being a brat", Carl argued, "I'm just sick of everyone thinking that I'm useless"

"What? Who thinks that?", Michonne frowned as she eyed him.

"Everyone. Ever since I got shot… it's like they pity me or something…", Carl's voice was strained as if he were trying to keep all the emotion out of his tone, "My mom… she never really trusted me but dad did… now they look at me like I'm a freak"

Michonne stopped dead in her tracks, causing Carl to do the same. She took hold of his bicep as she said, "No one thinks you're a freak. Your parents don't pity you. They're worried about you and you know why? Because they love you and they don't want you to get hurt. They worried about you before but when you started acting erratic and going on suicide missions alone, that made them worry more and that makes them want to lock you in the house all day"

Carl cast his gaze elsewhere, "Maybe…"

"No, not maybe. When the people we love and care about start behaving in ways that we don't recognise then it scares us, even if we understand why they're acting that way, it still scares us and we just want them to go back to being the people we know and sometimes we think forcing them to be close to us will magically fix everything but it doesn't", She tilted her head to one side as her eyes scrutinized his face, "And that's not easy to accept. You have to cut your parents some slack and they will cut you some slack. Show them they can trust you and they will show you that they trust you. It's a two-way street."

Carl met his gaze wander up to hers, "...I get it."

"Good. And yes, you are being a brat", She deadpanned, "If you were on that boat with me and you were acting like this then I would have thrown you overboard"

The corner of his mouth curled up into a smile, "You wouldn't."

"Maybe not, but I'd dangle you overboard by your ankle", She countered easily.

"...Yeah, you would."

"Exactly", She gave him a playful nudge as they continued to walk up the street. It pleased her to know that she could still make him smile occasionally, but hearing him throw around words like 'useless' and 'freak' to describe himself made her sad for him. Even though he usually listened to her opinion on things, she had a feeling that her little speech would take some time to hit home.

"So is that really why you're leaving?", Carl eventually asked, "I know you want to help but… You could just stick around and change my dad's mind? And I know people around here aren't happy with Negan so… so you could have a meeting about it or something?"

Michonne liked his idea, "...That's not a bad suggestion but if we were to do something about it then we'd need everyone on board, and I wouldn't want to rally everyone into doing something that your dad was against"

"...I think you can talk him around", Carl insisted.

"I hope somebody can", She glanced in his direction, "I hope you don't mind hanging out with me and Mickey at the house"

Carl shrugged, "Sure. Whatever."

She narrowed her eyes at him as they climbed up the steps to the townhouse, "...I actually think the two of you might find that you have a lot in common… He also has an obsession with junk food…"

Carl rolled his eye, "Most people do. Besides my dad."

Michonne frowned as she thought about his statement, "That's true… He's so weird."

She managed to make the teen laugh once more before they entered the home, and little did she know it would be the last time for the next hour or so.

Mickey and Carl reminded her of two adolescent dogs trying to navigate their way through the world on their own; accept Mickey was rather bright eyed and bushy tailed while Carl was moody and snarky. Mickey tried to chime in on their conversations here and there, and Carl did nothing to hide his disinterest in the other boy. Mickey was either a great actor or completely oblivious to his attitude.

"...Judith actually talks a lot but mostly to my mom", Carl confessed as he sat at the island in the kitchen, "...She calls me 'Car'..."

Michonne began to smile as she stirred a pot filled with pasta, " _Car_?"

"Yeah."

She snickered, "I think I need to start calling you that, too. It has a nice ring to it."

"...I actually wanted to ask dad to teach me to drive", Carl confessed, "But with everything that's going on… I don't think he will"

Michonne glanced back at him, "I don't see why he can't let you go up and down the street one evening. Start you off slow."

"Or you could show me?... Before you leave again"

She gave him a pointed look, "Brat."

Carl shrugged his shoulders innocently, "You said so yourself; we can go up and down the street one evening¬"

"With your parents, that means your mom or your dad¬"

"You're not just anybody, though", Carl stressed, "They wouldn't freak out"

Michonne couldn't imagine Rick having a problem with her doing just about anything with Carl but she couldn't say the same about Lori. She shrugged in return, "Talk to them about it politely and see what they say. If it's a 'no' then it's a no… And if I do teach you how to drive then you better not race out of here on a whim again¬"

"Michonne's a good instructor", Mickey joined the conversation as he wandered into the kitchen with an empty glass in his hand, "She taught me how to drive in a week"

Carl's eye shot over to the other teen, then back to Michonne, "I think I can learn in less than a week"

Michonne ignored Carl's swipe as she repeated her earlier comments, "Ask your parents first"

"Pasta?", A sour expression formed on Mickey's face as he peeked into the pot, "I didn't know they had that here"

"I'm not going to ruin it like your dad did", She smirked, "No anchovies"

"I can still remember the smell", Mickey made a gagging sound as he set his glass down on the counter.

"Are your parents dead?", Carl asked bluntly, causing Michonne to spin around slowly and shoot him a questioning look.

Mickey's big brown eyes hovered on the other teen before he replied, "Yeah"

Carl's expression was hard as he said, "Oh. _Sorry_."

This wasn't the first time that Michonne had wanted to wring Carl's neck, and she had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last. She turned back to the pot and tried to lighten the mood again, "Did you finish all your chocolate, Mickey?"

"Yeah, I did. Sorry.", The teen leaned back on the counter, "I should have saved you some for breakfast"

"No, that's not what I wanted it for", She shook her head, "And for the sake of my sanity; Never mention that ever again"

Mickey gave her a strange look, "Okay…"

"I wanted to see if I could make some cookies or something. Do they have chocolate here Carl?"

"Yeah. In the pantry", Carl answered flatly, "Might not be any left though since Negan takes everything"

She batted her eyelashes playfully at Mickey, "Would you mind doing me a small favor…"

He pushed off the counter, "Sure. I'll go ask."

"Thank you", She gave him a genuine smile before turning serious, "But don't eat it all on the way over here"

"I'm never eating chocolate again", He protested as he started to leave the kitchen, "Never, ever again"

Michonne didn't believe that. If she did succeed in baking cookies then Mickey would be the first one to inhale them. She waited until she heard the front door shut before she spun around and faced Carl with an unimpressed look on her face. He shrugged innocently for a countless time, "What?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, "His mother died a long time ago from Cancer and his father was bit while trying to save the both of us, so if you're going to touch on that topic again with him then you better use a little more tact or else you can kiss any future driving lessons from me goodbye"

Carl tried to remain stone-faced. His lips were pressed together firmly and so much defiance radiated from his remaining eye, but he wasn't fooling Michonne. She could see right through his attitude and she refused to entertain it. It took him ten seconds to crack, "...Got it."

"Good. Now get a knife and start cutting these tomatoes", She issued firmly.

Carl lazily got up from his stool, "...So am I allowed to ask when are you leaving?"

"...Maybe the day after tomorrow", She answered dubiously, "I want to help your dad out here first."

Carl grabbed one of the smaller utensils from the knife block, "...Are you going to live there?"

"Maybe for a little while. It all depends on what everyone plans to do."

"So take me with you", The words sounded as serious as he looked, "I want to help too"

"I know you do", She gave him all of her attention, "That's why you need to stay here with your dad¬"

Carl scoffed as he looked away from her, "Whatever."

"No, not 'whatever' Carl.", She grabbed hold of his arm and made him face her again, "I mean it. If we do start something with Negan then this place might become a target too. You have to help your dad protect this place because he can't do it on his own, so you have to stay here"

The teen softened up as he registered her point.

"...I want Mickey to stay here, too", She confessed in a quiet voice, even though the other teen was out the home, "So _there_."

Carl gazed away from her as he replied, "Fine. I get it."

Even though Carl's behavior wasn't that outrageous in her presence, she could tell that his parents probably dealt with a lot worse from him and it made her pity all involved, especially Rick. It was bad enough that he had a whole community to protect and care for, but he then had to return home to an angst-ridden teen who was bold enough to go toe to toe with Negan. Then there was Lori. Rick's wife could be a handful just as much as she could be a wallflower, and Michonne learned later that afternoon that Lori had decided to be a handful that day.

She had managed to keep the teen boys at bay by giving them a batch of almost burnt cookies when Lori came knocking at the door with Judith on her hip. She was there to collect her son, and seeing Rick marching across the street towards them confirmed that he didn't agree with his wife's actions. Michonne inhaled deeply as she greeted the brunette, "Hi Lori."

"Hi", Lori huffed as she adjusted her hold on her toddler daughter, "I'm here to get Carl? He's been here almost all day so… I'm sure you can use a break."

Michonne noticed Rick stop at the bottom of the steps. She slowly nodded her head, "...Sure. Hold on."

Luckily for Michonne, she didn't have to go far because Carl was already coming down the hall. He must have expected it to be his mother, and judging by the look on his face the teen wasn't happy to see he was right, "...What are you doing here?"

Michonne scolded him with her eyes while Lori spoke up, "Come on, it's time to go home. You've been here all afternoon and I'm sure Michonne would like some peace and quiet now"

Michonne didn't like being used an excuse for the woman's paranoia, but she kept quiet. The air between them all was growing unnecessarily tense and she didn't want it to escalate any further. Especially not on her front step. She tried to defuse the situation, "Maybe you can stop by tomorrow for a little while, okay?"

"Yeah. That's fine", Lori agreed as she pulled a strand of hair from Judith's fist, "So say thank you"

Carl couldn't look anymore disgusted if he tried. Michonne felt as though she could see a giant fuse attached to his back and he was coming so close to exploding with anger that she reinstated her offer, "Tomorrow, Carl. And don't forget to talk to your parents about that thing we were talking about, okay?"

The angry teen glowered on the spot for a moment or two before he mumbled, "Whatever"

Michonne watched him stalk out of her home. He passed both of his parents without another word. Rick almost looked as annoyed as his son. Lori adjusted her hold on Judith again, "...Thank you… Uh, I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"No. Not at all.", Michonne shifted her stance from one foot to the other as she tried to figure out what was fueling the woman's worry. Knowing what she knew, she could understand why Lori would be reluctant to see Rick anywhere near her, but not Carl. She'd always taken care of her son and even saved his life on multiple occasion, so Lori had no reason to believe that he wasn't safe in her company.

"Great…", Lori began to turn around, "...Thanks again."

The tension between Rick and his wife was painfully obvious when she passed him on the steps. Much like his son, Rick's mood was always written all over his face. He said something brief, something that made Lori give him an incredulous look before she stormed after away, all while Michonne watched awkwardly from the front door.

The idea of abandoning the Grimes family during their hour of need didn't sit well with Michonne, but she was starting to look forward to leaving. They might all benefit from her swift exit.

"...I'm sorry about that", Rick offered out of exasperation, "I saw her heading this way and tried to catch up with her but¬"

"Don't worry about it. It's fine", She insisted.

"No. It's not. She's just…", He paused, "Just worried about Carl. After everything that happened when he snuck out on here… I guess she wants to keep a close eye on him."

"...I was just filling him up with burnt cookies anyway. Well, there was more dough than chocolate chip but… you get the idea", She shrugged as she leaned on the door frame. His lie would have been plausible if she didn't already know different, "It's fine though. Really. You might want to talk to Carl though."

"I know", He raked his fingers through his damp hair as he sighed, "..I know."

Michonne eyed him suspiciously, "Why are you sweating?"

He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, "Uh… We were fixing up the wall next to the watchtower."

"So why didn't you leave it to the young men? I don't know if you forgot but you almost broke your hip the other day"

He raised an eyebrow at her as he took his time loading up his come back, "...I want you to know that if for any reason I'm in or near Atlanta ever again, the first thing I'm doing is looking for a copy of your birth certificate"

A little gasp escaped her lips, "You wouldn't dare"

"I'd frame it", He cocked his head to one side as he gave her one of his teasing looks, "Put it on the mantle"

"I'd burn that damn mantle down before you could say 'I'm an old man'.", She hissed, causing him to laugh at her reply but it wasn't just any laugh; it was a snort. She liked to believe that only she had the sacred skill to make the usually cool and collected Rick Grimes snort.

"You'd risk burning down my entire home just so people don't find out your real age?", He raised his eyebrows as he asked the question.

She smirked, "Don't ask me what I'm willing to do to keep that a secret"

"Right", He shook his head as though he despaired, "Well I'll leave you to enjoy your burnt cookies"

"They weren't completely burnt and you're offspring still loved them"

He turned around and took his time descending the steps, "Well, save me one. I'll be back later for it… I gotta' finish off helping with that wall"

"Let the youngster's do the heavy lifting, old man!", She sniggered at her own joke.

"You're _not_ twenty-seven Michonne!", He called back a little too loudly for Michonnes liking. She looked around the hallway for something to throw at him but there were only picture frames and a coat stand nearby so she gave up. He flashed her one of his charming grins from over his shoulder as started walking up the street and it made her stomach twist and turn from delight, and out of guilt.

It was no secret that she cared about him. He was one of the few people she had left in the world that she truly valued, but ever since Lori had spilled the beans on her husband's feelings for her, Michonnes mind battled to accept it. Knowing that it was something they might have discussed was bad enough, but the fact that Michonne knew how he felt only made matters worse. Somehow his big secret had become hers.

"I saved you some cookies", Mickey announced from behind her as he chomped away on one of the treats, "They really aren't that bad"

She tore her gaze away from Ricks back and faced her young companion, "Thanks… Now come on, I need to talk to you about something…".


End file.
